


Rhapsody in Red

by ObjectiveMistress



Series: The Rhapsody in Red Universe [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - Noir, Detective Noir, F/M, Gen, Police
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-04
Updated: 2014-07-10
Packaged: 2018-01-15 01:28:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 58,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1286086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObjectiveMistress/pseuds/ObjectiveMistress
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mako is already a well-experienced homicide detective in Republic City when Beifong reluctantly assigns him to take over the case of the "Red Killer," the serial murderer that likely was responsible for the death of his parents. Little does he know that the Beifong's reassignment of Vice Detective Korra as his new partner will change things in ways he never anticipated. Noir AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Come Fly With Me

**Rating:**  M (language, violence, sex)

 **Chapter word count:**  ~1800

 **Summary:**  Mako is already a well-experienced homicide detective in Republic City when Beifong reluctantly assigns him to take over the case of the "Red Killer," the serial murderer that likely was responsible for the death of his parents. Little does he know that the Beifong's reassignment of Vice Detective Korra as his new partner will change things in ways he never anticipated. Noir AU

 **Author Note:**  This is a Noir AU. There's no bending, but plenty of bad-assery. It's one heck of a ride if I do say so myself. So buckle up!

.

.

**Chapter 1 – "Come Fly With Me"**

" _Come on fly with me, let's take off in the blue"_

.

"Sit down, I'll be right back." Chief Beifong's tone of voice was even more unreadable than usual.

Mako dropped heavily into the metal seat provided. Getting called into the boss' office right after dropping your coat and hat after a bit of fieldwork was never a good sign. He pulled out the scratched and worn lighter from his pocket, lighting and extinguishing the small flame at his leisure before stashing it away again as he heard the door behind him creak open.

"What do you have your plate currently as far as cases go?" Beifong dropped a rather large file to her desk without explanation

"Finishing up the case of that badger game turned murder," he watched the Chief took a seat opposite of him. "He got sent to the big house today, just need to finish up the paper work."

"Well then, I have a new project for you."

He moved to grab the large case file, only to be startled by a slam of the older woman's hand, right smack on the center of the imposing stack of paper. It took all his will power to not flinch away. Chief Beifong was one of the most decorated, respectable, and clean cops in the city. It was some miracle that she got the top position, usually reserved for ass kissing political appointees.

"Do you have any idea what this file is?" She leveled a steely look in his direction.

"Should I?"

"It's the Red Killer file."

Mako's stomach dropped. He should have recognized the distinctive sealing tape on the outside. When he was just hired as a lowly beat cop he found the file. His gut had always told him that his parents were on the list of victims, and an unwarranted snoop through the file only confirmed his suspicions. When discovered, he was lucky to get off with a slap on the hand and extra shifts instead of a suspension for looking around where he shouldn't have been.

"I'm guessing you heard about Detective Ming's…incident?"

He nodded. The guy had been the previous lead on the case, and a damn good, and clean detective. He connected dots from the Red Killer's twenty-something year history that no one else had noticed. The case was so close the breakthrough that would catch the guy. Then, mysteriously, he ends up with two broken arms after a night out on the town that he couldn't remember.

"Yeah…yeah I did."

"So you know why it needs new leadership." Beifong's sharp gaze was unwavering. "I need a solid set of cops to clean up and finish the job. Not only solid, I need cops that are willing to go in different directions. This case has run experienced cops all over the city in circles." She looked him straight in the eye, "Are you the guy for this job?"

"Yes," he said confidently.

How many times had he dreamed (or had they been nightmares?) about getting a chance to catch his parents' killers? How many times had he thought of the satisfaction of sitting across from the scumbag as he took the stand, unable to defend his crimes?

"Alright then," the Chief slid the file across the desk to him. "You're getting a new partner for this case."

"Can I get my pick from homicide?"

Mako had a few officers in mind. Detective Shi was solid in casework, but had an outsider's streak that he thought would be useful if Beifong was looking for a new approach.

"No, I've picked one out. Not from homicide."

Mako narrowed his eyes, "What? Did you pull someone right out of the academy?"

"No." Beifong was unreadable. "You'll be working with Detective Korra."

"And she is?"

"She's a detective in the Vice Department."

"You can't be serious."

Vice detectives were always the latest into the station each morning. They wore the flashiest, nicest, most fashionable clothing around the station. They pulled the biggest salaries and were always at the biggest social events. They were the only department that could get away with dinner with the folks they investigated. Mako couldn't help but eye them with disdain as they walked through, egos swelled.

Republic City had a corruption problem. Dirty money and people could be found in every crack of the city governmental system. With prohibition ending, the gangs were struggling to find a new niche. Many of them turned to drugs, prostitution, and racketeering to keep the cash flowing.

Then there was the Vice Department. Their job was to root out all that filth. Instead, most ended up rolling in it and working with dirty hands.

"I'm dead serious and that's how it's going to work."

"You're expecting me to solve a high profile murder with a dirty cop?" He was utterly exasperated.

"First of all, watch your tone, Detective. You know I don't take any shit." The reminder of his title next to hers made him lean back in his chair. "Second of all, she's not dirty. You remember the Sato case?"

Mako thought for a moment. "Yeah. Big industry guy busted for using his warehouses as a drug front."

"Well Detective Korra ran that."

He nodded once, not wanting to anger Beifong any further. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Now, get out and get to work."

"Where is she?"

"Check the gym downstairs."

.

The gym in the basement was pretty much as far from state of the art as it could get, but it worked. Filled with plenty of mats, punching bags, and a decent selection of weights, it was perfect for the cop who needed to let some stress go. Of course, being the afternoon, most officers were still sipping at coffee, trying to ward off midday bleariness to dig their way out of the trench of pointless paper they were buried in.

Mako peered through the gym door windows, covered in fingerprints and unidentifiable grime. It was empty save one.

She was wearing a loose fitting cropped top, and going to town on a defenseless punching bag. He could only see her from the back, but she was shorter than he imagined. She had dark skin that glistened from her workout, her hair pulled back into a long ponytail. Even from outside he could tell she was strong. The suspended punching bag lurched from every strong hit of her well timed fists.

"Hey, are you Detective Korra?"

She dropped her wrapped fists to the side. "It depends, who's asking?"

"I'm Detective Mako."

She turned around, hands on her hips. The woman had piercing blue eyes and a young looking face. He couldn't help but notice that she was good looking with striking exotic features.

"Well aren't you a cool guy?" Korra walked over and stuck a hand out. "Nice to meet ya."

He shook her hand. "So we've been assigned to work together on the Red Killer case."

"Yeah, we have."

"Have you even worked a homicide case before?" His words came out a bit more spiteful than he intended.

She squinted at him, "Does it matter? I was assigned to this just like you because I get the job done."

"It's a whole different ball game!"

"Jeez I've had plenty of other solved cases I'm sure you can read up on in the Republic City Dispatch. Besides, plenty of vice cases end in death too. Homicide doesn't have a monopoly on death or anything," she started to unwrap her hands. "What does it take to impress you?"

Mako crossed his arms. This partnership was off to quite a start. He could tell already that she was stubborn, headstrong, and a pain in the ass.

"It takes solid casework to impress me," he stepped a bit closer to her. "You can start by reading the case file."

"I already did." She smirked.

"You're lying-"

"Right, because I care  _that_  much impressing a guy I just met."

Mako took a deep breath. She was utterly infuriating. "Okay, well where do you want to start?"

"It's Friday," Korra pulled her jacket on from the hanger by the door.

"So?"

"Fridays we go out."

"Let me guess," he rolled his eyes, "vice detective thing."

"Usually," she smirked. "You in, Cool Guy?"

"I don't think so."

"You're missing out then," Korra winked at him and walked out. "I'll see you on Monday."

He would be lying if he didn't admit to his eyes following her ass until she was fully out of the door.

.

.

"Well you're in late," Mako looked up from the file. He scoured the many pages of the packet, looking for anything extra he could work off of.

"Yeah, well it's Friday!" Bolin smiled, rummaging through the drawer in the hallway. He pulled out a few foil wrapped condoms that he slipped into his jacket pocket. "And I had a great day in the ring today so I deserved it. And hoping for a great night too if you know what I mean."

His brother was a professional boxer by day, semi-professional womanizer by night.

"Great," the detective buried himself in the file again.

"Hey, so I'm going back out, you're welcome to join me if you want to loosen up," he laughed.

" _Back_  out?" Mako didn't always get why his brother loved the party scene so much.

"There's a hot girl outside waiting for me," Bolin whispered loudly.

"You know I can hear you talking about me," the girl poked her head it.

Goddammit, it was Detective Korra.

"Oh, Mako," she smirked, hiding her surprise. "Told you that you were missing a great night."

"You know him?"

"A bit. We-" Korra didn't know exactly how to explain.

"Well…don't wait up!" Bolin didn't even wait for her reply.

Clearly he wasn't thinking with his head.

Mako couldn't help but dread Monday at the station just a bit more.

.

.

 **Author Note:**  One chapter down. Bunch more to go. Love to hear your feedback, and as always passing it along is appreciated with hugs.


	2. Street of Dreams

**Rating:**  M (language, violence, sex)

 **Chapter word count:**  ~1600

 **Summary:**  Mako is already a well-experienced homicide detective in Republic City when Beifong reluctantly assigns him to take over the case of the "Red Killer," the serial murderer that likely was responsible for the death of his parents. Little does he know that the Beifong's reassignment of Vice Detective Korra as his new partner will change things in ways he never anticipated. Noir AU

 **Author Note:**  This chapter has some plot building so we can get to the meat!

.

.

**Chapter 2 – "Street of Dreams"**

" _Love laughs at a king, kings don't mean a thing on the street of dreams  
Dreams broken in two can be made like new on the street of dreams"_

_._

"You got a light?" Korra pulled a cigarette out and held it deftly between two fingers.

"Of course," he pulled out his worn lighter and flicked the flame ablaze.

She held out an unlit smoke, "Want one?" The lit cigarette dangled from the corner of her mouth.

"I don't smoke. People are starting to say it's bad for you."

"Since when are 'people' a reputable source for anything but gossip?" She took a long drag, expelling the smoke into the already polluted air of the police meeting room. "So you don't smoke, but you carry a lighter around?"

"Habit," he shrugged.

The lighter had been his father's. Other than the red scarf he had, it was all he had left of his parents as far as mementos went. Even the memories were foggy; after all he was only eight years old when the two were cut down in front of him.

"Just looking to add a few more pieces to the mystery that is Detective Mako."

"Great." He didn't even bother to look in her direction.

"Look, are you going to keep being cold to me, or are we going to work as a team and get this done?"

Instead of responding he busied himself looking at the brown sludge that passed for coffee in his mug that was now lukewarm.

"This isn't about your brother is it?"

"You slept with my brother!" Mako hissed.

"I didn't sleep with your brother," she crossed her arms.

"I saw him slip a handful of condoms into his pocket," he glared at her, not sure if he could believe his new partner.

"That doesn't mean he got to use any, with me at least." Korra leaned over the table towards him. "And even if we did, your brother is a big boy, and I'm pretty sure he can handle himself."

"How did you even meet him?" he narrowed his eyes. He could only wonder what Bolin got into when he wasn't around; a Vice detective showing up was hopefully only a coincidence.

"I was at a bar with some of the guys and ran into him. He seemed fun."

"I just don't want my brother getting hurt okay?" His shoulders sagged in defeat. "I overreacted."

"Don't worry so much, he seemed like a pro with the girls anyway," she waved him off. "Now can we focus on what actually matters?"

Mako closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Right," he nodded. "We need to dig through the entire case file, and we need to do it together so we can work all of this out."

She nodded, "Let's get lunch first."

" _You_  just got here," he glared. He had come in at his normal time, which was evidently much earlier than hers.

She checked the clock on the wall. "Well it's like, 11:30 already. Let's grab lunch and discuss over food."

Not only was she infuriating, she was probably incompetent. Clearly she was thinking of her stomach before the very important case they had been assigned.

"I'll buy," her voice had a singing quality as she leaned over the table.

"Deal."

Free food was something he could never argue with.

.

"Narook's always reminds me of home," Korra pulled the steaming hot bowl of thick seafood noodles towards her on the now cluttered conference room table.

As much as he hated to even think it, lunch ended up being a sound suggestion from his new partner. The noodle shop was a short distance away from the station, and the walk to pick up the called-in food cleared his head. He pulled the carton of dumplings towards him with one hand and part of the case file to his side with the other.

"I know about your parents."

Mako's hand froze clutching chopsticks, halfway to his mouth. Her sudden change in demeanor surprised him.

"I wasn't sure if you were gonna tell me or you didn't want me to know," thankfully she never met his eyes. "But it's something I needed to know going forward. I don't think it will hurt us on the case. Right?"

He nodded mutely, dumpling still hanging midair.

"Good." She smiled, her eyes full of warm reassurance.

Unable to hold her gaze for long, he refocused on the suddenly very interesting food in front of him.

"So," her mouth was full of half-chewed udon noodles. He was incredibly grateful for the abrupt subject change. "I noticed something a little odd when I was going over my copy of the file."

Mako looked up and raised an eyebrow to urge her on.

"There seems to be a divide between victims nineteen and twenty."

He flipped through his file.

Korra swiped the box of dumplings from in front of him. "Did you notice that killings one through nineteen are predominantly guys with a few gals, but victim twenty and on are all female?"

"That is odd," he flipped through the list of the fallen.

The contrast was stark enough it was likely it wasn't a coincidence. It was already well known that the victims of the Red Killer seemed to range from high profile gang members, to family members of high profile businessmen, to seemingly random girls off the street. As a homicide detective, he was used to looking for patterns. Unless there was a root cause or something clearly explainable…well he honestly didn't know what to make of it.

"All of the killings though follow the Red Killer's usual method." He pulled one of the more gruesome photos from the folder. "All victims were first stabbed from behind before having their throat slit."

"But all of the killings past and including victim twenty show signs of rape before their throats were slit."

After all, the media name the "Red Killer" wasn't for nothing. Each crime-scene photoset was as gory as any he had seen. The Killer knew what he was doing, and probably wanted to maximize the gush of blood. Mako couldn't help but feel a large pang of disgust.

"Are we sure this isn't a bunch of killers?" Korra crossed her arms, halting her eating for the first time since the take-out hit the table. "The Red Killer is a big name. There could be plenty of copy-cat killings that would know they would get away by pegging it on this guy."

"The forensic reports…" he wanted to pull out the right sheet from the file to back up his position, "…show that the same knife was used. Each wound had the same depth. Probably wouldn't be multiple people then."

"Alright," Korra looked at him. Her bright eyes caught him off guard; he hadn't noticed earlier how deep they seemed, like a bottomless seas of blue. "This guy has to have some underworld connections. Why don't we work some of my vice contacts and—"

"—Take the rest of the day off?"

She narrowed her eyes, "Look. I don't know what you think  _I_  do over there in the Vice Department, but it's real work okay, City Boy? I'm pretty damn sure that some of my contacts—"

"—Who you'll pay off. Or get paid off by."

"Will you fucking cut it out already?" She stood up; her chair fell backward and clattered to the floor. "Sometimes you do what you have to do, so you can get the guy that is one level deeper. You don't understand."

"You think  _I_  don't understand?" He rose from his chair and took a step closer to her. He was just about a full head taller than her at standing height. "I've been a cop since I got out of the academy at twenty! That's six fucking years on the force."

"I've also been a cop for six years!"

"Yeah but only three in Republic City." He knew she transferred from being a small-town wherever she came from.

"Fine you've made your point," Korra crossed her arms but tilted her chin up. "We'll do this your way, by the book…for now."

The two were still seething, his head angled down so he could look her in the eye. They were close, and a bit too close for his liking. Her eyes were still narrowed in anger; her lips scrunched up and squeezed tightly like the fists at her side. Mako could already tell she wasn't the kind to back down.

"Now what?" He broke the thick silence.

"We investigate victim nineteen."

"And who was that?"

"The late Sato Heiress. Wife to Hiroshi Sato the scumbag."

.

 **Author Note:** I'm not sure in my confidence to craft a mystery, but I'm going to do my best.


	3. I've Got a Crush on You

**Rating:**  M (language, violence, sex)

 **Chapter Word Count:** ~2100

 **Summary:**  Mako is already a well-experienced homicide detective in Republic City when Beifong reluctantly assigns him to take over the case of the "Red Killer," the serial murderer that likely was responsible for the death of his parents. Little does he know that the Beifong's reassignment of Vice Detective Korra as his new partner will change things in ways he never anticipated. Noir AU

.

.

**Chapter 3 – "I've Got a Crush on You"**

" _But, oh, my heart grew active  
When you came into view"_

.

"What is up with you?" Mako cut the engine to his Satomobile. "I think this is the longest I've ever head you shut up for."

After discussing and finally agreeing what direction to move in, the pair was able to pull an early morning appointment at Future Industries. It took two cups of black coffee, but he managed to wake up and function at the early hour.

"Oh fuck you," she practically snarled, grabbing her fedora off the dashboard as she slipped out of the vehicle and pulled the collar of her trench coat up around her neck.

"Not interested in that with you. Sorry, doll," he laughed, closing the Satomobile door firmly. He jiggled the handle once, just to make sure it was locked, before striding towards the Future Industries Headquarters.

Korra grabbed him by the sleeve roughly. "You know I pretty much single handedly jailed Hiroshi Sato on racketeering and drug charges," she hissed. "Of course I don't really want to go in there."

The fall of Hiroshi Sato was one of the most high-profile cases in Republic City Police Department history. The case danced across every newspaper and radio broadcast from the first warrants for warehouse searches to Sato disappearing behind the walls of the Republic City Correctional Facility. Then there were the pictures that emerged from smuggled cameras of him behind bars in black and white striped garb that matched his graying hair. But you didn't need to be a cop to know that the gangs of the city operated in the prisons too; Sato was likely going to have a protected stay until his release day.

"Do you want to stay out here?" Mako understood this could be an awkward situation.

"Of course I don't want to fucking stay out here," she stormed off towards the building.

He shook his head and followed behind her. He still wasn't exactly sure what to make of his new partner. She clearly had a good cop's head on her shoulders, but it was easily obscured by her fiery tendencies.

"What is it? Don't want to face Asami Sato?"

With Hiroshi in jail, the reins of the company fell to his only daughter: Asami Sato. Due to some city laws passed in the wake of the Sato case, the Vice Department continued to search the Future Industries holdings and subsidiaries for a year after the case. They found nothing. Asami insisted on running a clean business, and her good looks certainly helped the positive media attention.

"It's not her," Korra shook her head. "I've worked with her. It's everyone else because I know we didn't catch them all."

Other than a great number of lower level muscle and movers for the operation, Hiroshi was the only one with any clout that Korra and her team could come up with enough evidence to convict. It was plainly obvious though that one man, standout innovator and industrialist or not, could not have run the operation on his own.

"Then let's go. We don't want to be late for our appointment, especially since we secured it in a day's notice."

The Future Industries building was an eminent feature on the ever-growing Republic City skyline. The lobby, with floors of freshly polished black marble, was no less impressive though largely empty. A few workmen fritted about, one was perched above on a ladder, slowly chiseling something in to the wall.

"Can I help you two?" The woman at the standing-level desk looked up at the echoing footsteps in the immense lobby. "Please pardon the work, the company is rebranding currently."

Mako pulled his badge out from inside his coat. "We have an appointment with Ms. Asami Sato."

"Of course," she nodded at one of the suits at the door. "He will show you upstairs."

"This way," the man led the way to the elevator.

When the man turned, Mako could just make out a slight bulge at the side. He had a small pistol beneath his jacket.

The wood paneled elevator was no less lavish then the detective would have expected. The attendant inside pulled the collapsible grill door shut before hitting the button for the fourteenth floor.

"The elevator is next to go," the attendant patted the side. "Too old and slow."

The capsule creaked to life, slowly gathering speed as they headed upwards. Mako couldn't help but notice that a few of the floors were completely empty.

"This is it," the suited man led them into a waiting area. "Ms. Sato will be out momentarily."

The waiting room was clean, a few chairs with upright backs gathered around a low table.

Korra took off her overcoat and slug it over her arm. She twirled her hat impatiently on one hand. "You gonna take that scarf off?"

"I'm fine."

"Do you  _ever_  take it off?"

Mako glared and crossed his arms. The pair sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Lot of, um, empty floors," Korra spoke up.

"What Detective Korra, you didn't hear that Future Industries had a major setback a year or two back." A new voice emerged from the doorway.

Mako stood and eyed the man. He was tall, just shorter than him, and stood confidently in his well-tailored suit that bore a Future Industries logo on his lapel. The suit however did not conceal the swell of fat around his waist. His black hair was neatly slicked back, a few slivers of gray throughout and concentrated at his temples. A neatly trimmed moustache accentuated the round, soft features of his face that held a grave expression.

"Kale," Korra stood to face the man.

"You know I prefer Mr. Hibiki from you."

"I think Kale is fine," she smirked.

He knew at once from the tension between the two that Hibiki had to be one of the "everyone else" his partner had referred to earlier who eluded arrest.

"I'm Detective Mako," he held out his hand. "I can see you already know my partner, Detective Korra."

Hibiki ignored his outstretched hand and checked his pocket watch instead.

Korra took a few steps forward, "Kale here is the CFO of Future Industries. Second in command under Hiroshi and now—"

"I don't see any reason for you two to be here," the CFO's voice was emotionless. "In fact I see no reason for Ms. Sato to—"

"I'll be the judge of that." The door behind him opened revealing Asami Sato.

She was gorgeous, more so than the black and white photos in the papers let on. Her black hair, held out of her face by a clip, was accurate from the grainy spreads in the business section, but her vibrant green eyes stood out against her fair skin. A friendly smile played across her lips, made crimson from lipstick.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, I had a call from a different time zone that went over. Please come in," she held the door open for the two detectives to pass through.

Mako turned and caught a final glance of Hibiki, leering as the door shut.

The office was clean and not overly ornate. The shelves were decorated with scale models of various Future Industries projects and prototypes.

"Detective Korra," Asami politely shook the shorter woman's hand. "According to my lawyers, the Republic City Police Department lost the ability for routine searche."

"This isn't about your father, Ms. Sato."

"I see."

A look of surprise crossed her face before quickly vanishing behind her all-business façade. "And you are?" she turned towards Mako. He watched her eyes dart briefly downward before she smiled at him.

"Detective Mako, homicide."

"Please, sit down," the CEO motioned towards a sitting area by the windows and he took a seat next to Asami. "Tea, either of you?"

They politely declined.

"Then what is this about?"

"It's about your mother," Korra leaned forward.

"Is that case even still open?" Asami folded her hands in her lap.

"Unfortunately. I know the case has been cold for a long time, but we'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Well if you're asking questions that means you're still looking," the Sato heiress tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "What would you like to know? I can't guarantee I'll remember much, I was quite young then."

"It can be rough, losing a parent like that," Mako smiled. On one hand, opening up a bit would cut the chance of her getting defensive.

Korra shot him a glare that the CEO thankfully didn't catch. "Did your mother have any enemies?"

Asami smiled sadly, and he had to resist the urge to reach out and comfort her. "Well, with how big Future Industries was back then there were plenty. And in the interest of full disclosure, I'm not sure if my dad was working with organized crime back then."

"I'm so sorry Ms. Sato," a woman poked her head through the door. "There is a matter at the factory and they need you on the direct line right away."

"I hate to be rude," Asami stood, "but this needs to be attended to. I realize that an interview like this is pretty much useless."

"Thank you for your time," Korra pulled her coat on quickly.

"It's not a problem," she smiled; the expression of warmth was genuine as far as he could tell as it lit up her green eyes.

Mako followed Korra's lead on the way out and she passed through the door.

"Hang on!" Asami caught up behind him and grabbed him by the arm just as the door swung shut, leaving them alone.

He smiled, "What can I do for you?"

"I feel bad that this got cut short…" she blushed before making eye contact. "Would you like to go out to dinner with me tomorrow night? Not related to this at all! Just us!"

"I-I…yeah s-sure!" The whole situation caught him off guard.

"Kwong's Cuisine. Tomorrow night? On me?"

Mako nodded, "I-I think that works!"

"So…it's a date then!" She walked back to her desk and smiled at him as she picked up the receiver.

He left the office, a stupid grin plastered on his face. Dates were far and few between for him and to be honest, it wasn't something he actively sought out. Occasionally he would meet someone, but between paying the bills and keeping Bolin out of trouble, it wasn't a priority.

"You gonna take all day?" Korra held the elevator open.

"Sorry!"

"She asked you out, didn't she?" She put her hat on.

"Yeah," he shrugged. "It's a dead-end for our investigation anyway."

"That doesn't make it unprofessional."

"I really don't think a lecture on professionalism from a Vice detective would be worth it."

"Will you just drop that whole, ' _All_  vice detectives are dirty cops,' thing?" She pushed by him roughly to leave the elevator. "We both know that whole angle is bullshit, and there are plenty of dirty homicide cops."

Mako pulled his coat on wordlessly as they exited through the Future Industries lobby. He couldn't help but notice the workman on the ladder from earlier had finished his work.

" _The past does not define our future. Future Industries – Always Moving Forward."_

He could come up with numerous examples that flew in the face of their new business model. Everyone is defined by their past, and he was no exception to that rule.

The partners walked silently back to the vehicle. The built-in radio was active inside.

" _We have a 187. Suspected Red Killer victim. Looking for badges numbered 17345 and 34829 to respond. I repeat a 187—"_

"Roger that, this is badge 34829, Detective Korra," she picked up the handset. "Location?"

" _1500 block of 15_ _th_ _. Uniforms already at scene."_

"Let's go," Mako revved up the engine.

They had work to do.

.

.

 **Author Note:**  I hope some of you are still with me! I'd love to hear what you think. We've got a wild ride ahead!


	4. Ain't That a Kick in the Head

**Rating:**  M (language, violence, sex)

 **Chapter Word Count:**  ~2000

 **Summary:**  Mako is already a well-experienced homicide detective in Republic City when Beifong reluctantly assigns him to take over the case of the "Red Killer," the serial murderer that likely was responsible for the death of his parents. Little does he know that the Beifong's reassignment of Vice Detective Korra as his new partner will change things in ways he never anticipated. Noir AU

 **Warning:**  TW - Rape

 **Author Note:**  I apologize for not including a trigger warning for rape earlier in the story. The act is mentioned here, but I'm not going into detail or anything because it makes me really uncomfortable. That being said I hope that this does not detract from anyone's enjoyment. I'll be more vigilant about including the trigger warning.

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**Chapter 4 – "Ain't That A Kick In The Head"**

_The room was completely black_  
I hugged her and she hugged back  
Like the sailor said, quote "ain't that a hole in the boat"

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Police work always looked much less impressive during the day. At night, the flashing blue and red lights atop Satomobiles cast imposing shadows on the alley walls. The crowds of curious onlookers strained their eyes in the dark, imagination filling in all the details obscured by the blackness. Camera flashes from the press blind, each camera shot like a lightning strike. Hat brims lowered to avoid being on the front page of the morning papers. It's night scenes that remind him why so many of the radio dramas and pulp magazines glorify what detectives like Mako do.

During the day though, any bit of perverse allure murder might have had gets washed away by warm sunlight. Reality sets in that the body, lifeless on the pavement, was once a person and the whole world can see. Bruising, blood, and broken limbs…eventually it became one and the same.

Mako pulled his Satomobile up to the curb. "We're pretty late, press is already swarming."

Both detectives popped the collars of their jackets up and pulled their hats down to obscure their face as much as possible.

"Ready?" Korra put her hand on the door.

"Ready."

In unison the two stepped out of the car. The new arrivals did not go unnoticed by the interested bystanders, and especially not from the crime reporters whose cameras whipped around in their direction, ready to pounce at their chance for a story.

"Is it true that this is another Red Killer victim?"

"Does Detective Korra's assignment to this case mean it is connected to ongoing Vice Department cases?"

"Are the police ever planning on being able to catch this serial killer?"

"Are you afraid to take on this case after what happened to the last investigator?"

Korra closed her jacket against the wind, "No comment." Her voice was no-nonsense, but that of course didn't cause a single journalist to flinch.

The reporters were just as bad as the cops and the killers. Eventually it's just another body on the ground and the name, the story, and the family fades away into oblivion.

Together they pushed their way through the crowd until they reached the barricade. The scene was cordoned off with the usual yellow tape, but a wall of beat cops stood behind the line, eyes darting through the crowed to keep any of the throng from breaking through. This wasn't standard procedure in the slightest, but with the high profile nature of the case it was likely completely necessary.

"Watch it," a member of the crowd snarled when Mako pushed him out of the way. The guy had a nasty looking face with sharply angled cheekbones that stirred something in his memory.

Mako and Korra flashed their badges at the line before ducking under and into alley.

"Where's the body?" Mako turned to one of the cops past the perimeter.

"It's around to the right in the alley. We have it blocked off from all sides. I don't think any press even got a look at it," he pointed. "We were told not to touch anything."

"Do me a favor," the detective took a second to scan the crowd, "get one of the photographers to take photos of the crowd."

"Any reason for that?" Korra nudged him as they approached the turn in the alley.

"The Red Killer seems to me like the kind of guy that admires his work."

"Fair enough. Can't hurt."

The duo turned the corner into the small alleyway. As much as Mako hated to admit it, he too was used to seeing bodies. Mutilation and blood no longer bothered him. It was a sad fact of working in the homicide department; sooner or later it's just another body, and he was no exception to the rule.

The girl was sprawled facedown on the ground, a puddle of blood bloomed from under her head. From what he could see of her face, she was probably a good-looking gal before this happened to her. Her hands were down near her sides; she hadn't reflexively reached out to catch herself as she fell forward. Mako squinted, noticing a white sheet, obscuring the bottom half of her body.

"Did someone touch this?" Anger crept into his voice, "No one was supposed to touch this!"

"That was me sir," a man stood up from beside the body.

"Why the fuck would you do that?" His voice dripped with frustration.

"S-She was uncovered and I thought that with the press—"

"No, you didn't think. You're not supposed to fucking mess with the body."

"I was just trying to preserve some decency for her…"

"She's dead. She doesn't have any decency—"

"Mako," Korra wrenched him back by the arm. "There are photos from before the sheet I'm sure. Calm the fuck down, it's clear this kid is new to this." She turned to the now cowering man. "What's your name?"

"D-Dr. Jiro Zhou." He had to be in his early twenties and straight out of medical school. A pair of brown-rimmed glasses accented his hazel eyes. His hair was a dark brown, slicked back out of his face. "I'm from the Coroner's Office."

"Of course the damn coroner didn't get his ass out of bed…" Mako grumbled. The coroner was appointed, which of course meant that he preferred working on his golf swing instead of corpses.

Korra ignored him. "Next time, wait until we get here." She put a hand on Zhou's shoulder, "I appreciate the gesture, and ignore Detective Mako. Oh, and I'm Detective Korra."

"What have you found about the body?" Mako changed the subject back to the important matter at hand.

"From what I understand, it's pretty standard for Red Killer victims," Zhou pulled the sheet, now partially bloodstained, back from the body. "She was stabbed in the back, cause of death though was a slit throat and the ensuring blood loss."

Over his term as a homicide detective, he had seen plenty of gruesome finds. But there was something particularly sickening with the sight in front of him. The blood around her had already dried on her body, forming dark carmine streaks.

"Signs of rape?" Korra crouched down, her eyes swept over the area, scrutinizing the scene.

"As of now…it's probable from the state she was found in. But I need to look more closely at the morgue to be sure."

Mako crossed his arms and looked around the alley. The Red Killer and the victim could have come from either direction. The backstreet was well off the beaten path, and like all the other Red Killer victims, witnesses were highly unlikely. The girl didn't even have a chance.

"We found her purse!" A uniformed officer jogged over. "It's from the dumpster."

The detective accepted the worn leather bag from the cop. "Her wallet is still in here."

"Not surprised," Korra walked over to him from her position from the body.

He pulled the tattered wallet out. "Her name is Yumi Shi." He looked at one of the assisting officers, "Hey you. Can you see if any missing persons reports have been filed under that name?"

"Right away sir."

"What's this?" Korra reached inside the small bag. She pulled out a small scrap of paper with barely discernable writing scribbled on it. "It's an address."

"How far?" He refocused his attention on her from the scene around him.

"It's farther uptown…" she bit her lip as she thought. He couldn't help but think she looked cute like that, her face scrunched in concentration. "Probably a twenty minute walk from here. Maybe fifteen by car in traffic?"

A sense of excitement welled up in him. They had a lead: a small one, but nevertheless, a lead. These were the moments that he loved detective work, his chest would fill with a bubbling anticipation. There was a thrill in chasing a killer down, and especially now when he was on track to get his parents the justice they deserved long ago.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" He rubbed the paper between his fingers.

"If you're thinking 'let's check the place out,' then yeah, I'm with you," Korra smiled.

"Alright we've got what we need," Mako turned to Zhou and the uniformed officers. "Go ahead and clean this all up."

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"You could have gone easier on him," Korra's voice was sincere, her eyes trained out the window, eyes sweeping over the busy crowd hurrying back from their lunch break.

"Who? Zhou?" He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. Traffic was at a standstill.

"Of course Zhou."

"He's lucky that he didn't screw up any of the evidence," he turned to face her, "so there's no excuse."

For the briefest of moments, her tough mask melted away and her expression softened. "Don't you remember what it was like to be green like that? Be that innocent cop who just started on the force?"

The sad thing was, he didn't. Innocence wasn't something easy to come by when your parents are cut down in front of you. Anything left of his naivety that wasn't murdered with his parents that night withered away after a few years on the streets. Innocence was something he shed as quickly as possible, and somehow his efforts allowed his brother to keep his.

"Yeah…I remember."

Traffic finally yielded and allowed them to continue on.

"Park here," Korra tapped on the window as she pointed. "We can case the joint on foot."

A quick flick of his police siren allowed him quick passage to the side of the road. They exited the car and turned the corner of the block and slipped into the crowd.

Mako scrutinized the scrap of paper, "It should be on the right here…"

"There," Korra pointed down the alleyway.

He took a look around before following his partner.

At the end of the short backstreet was a single metal door, a dim light hung from the wall overhead. Empty bottles, some broken, littered the ground. It was obvious they were just walked right over by the fine green and brown granules that covered the pavement by the door.

"What's this over here?" She pointed to a graffiti marking on the wall, and walked towards it to get a better look.

Realization hit him in the gut. On the wall was a triangle with a "T" in the center. It was a symbol he could never forget. His inner left arm, just below the elbow began to itch; he slapped at it hoping to remove the sensation as quickly as it came.

"Triple Threat Triad logo," she smiled. "This is one of their bars. Looks like we got a real lead."

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 **Author Note:**  Another chapter down! Reviews, messages, and tags are always welcome. I love to hear what people are thinking as I string them through multi-chaps. Thanks for reading!.


	5. The Best is Yet to Come

**Rating:**  M (language, violence, sex)

 **Chapter Word Count:**  ~2680

 **Summary:**  Mako is already a well-experienced homicide detective in Republic City when Beifong reluctantly assigns him to take over the case of the "Red Killer," the serial murderer that likely was responsible for the death of his parents. Little does he know that the Beifong's reassignment of Vice Detective Korra as his new partner will change things in ways he never anticipated. Noir AU

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**Chapter 5 – "The Best is yet to Come"**

" _Wait till your charms are right, for the arms to surround_

_You think you've flown before, but you ain't left the ground"_

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They weren't called the Triple Threat Triads for nothing. The gang's specialties were drugs, extortion, and prostitution. They excelled in murder and didn't mind a bit of collateral damage to keep their reputation up on the streets. Besides, a few years in prison did wonders for a gangster's career.

They were a nasty group, and Mako knew that all too well from first hand experience. Jobs weren't exactly easy to come by for a newly orphaned eight-year-old with a younger brother to keep alive. So he did whatever he had to. He stole and ran small-time scams. He found abandoned places to live for a few cold, damp nights at a time. He carried a found knife to ward off anyone that might get any ideas in their heads.

Of course, that path was a slippery slope and eventually that ran him into the Triple Threats. He ran numbers for them and collected money for bets. It was something he wasn't proud of, but it was something he could never truly forget either. Underneath his sleeve on the inside his left arm, just below his elbow was the Triple Threat logo, the triangle with the T in the center, tattooed into his flesh. This was the very same logo as the graffiti on the wall.

Eventually, when he and Bolin learned to survive without crime, he had tried to burn the permanent marking off. Suffice to say, Mako was left with a scar that only partially obscured the gang mark.

"Triple Threat bar," Korra repeated aloud, mostly to herself he presumed. "Think this means that they're involved?"

"Could just be a coincidence."

It was true. Girl becomes a victim after a night out on the town. It was an all too familiar tale in Republic City, even when there wasn't a serial killer on the streets that had been murdering for decades.

"Well what are we waiting for?" She reached for the steel handle.

"Woah," Mako grabbed her by the shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"Going in," she said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"We need to discuss this somewhere else," he motioned with his head that they should get going. Standing outside of the Triple Threat bar was just asking for unwanted trouble.

Korra followed him out of the alley and back on to the street. Most desk workers had slipped back into their offices, leaving the avenue far less busy than when they had left. The two slipped into the human flow of traffic and headed in the direction of Mako's car.

"First off," they walked at an unhurried pace, "it's just after lunch. Bars really aren't too populated then."

"True…" she admitted. "But you know that this is a lead we need to follow up."

"Not to mention we would never get in there as cops."

"Then we won't go as cops."

He froze mid-step. "What are you talking about?"

"I guess Homicide Department Detectives don't go undercover often, eh?"

Since most homicides were by people the victim knew, going undercover was not needed in most cases. However, it was a staple of the Vice Detective repertoire.

"Meet me at my apartment at nine tonight," Korra pulled out her notepad and jotted down a quick address. "Then the real fun begins."

"Don't you need a ride back?"

"I've got an errand to run," she winked. "See you tonight, City Boy. Oh, and…" he watched her eyes travel up and down the length of his body, "…don't wear something that screams 'officer of the law' okay? Maybe some pinstripes."

She walked away and disappeared into the crowd.

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Mako did as instructed, and wore the wide pinstriped suit with matching fedora that Bolin had insisted he buy months ago. He really never liked the thing. The cut wasn't as slim as he liked, and it made his shoulders look broader like his brother's. He clipped his shoulder holster security over his shirt and made sure that his pistol fit snugly. As usual, he swung his father's read scarf around his neck and pulled the coat overtop.

Although ten years removed from the Triple Threats, Mako still knew how they ran their business. Lightning Bolt Zolt, famous for his quick and accurate shots, was still the reigning boss. He knew he could get in to the bar with a gun, no problem.

The drive to his partner's apartment was short. The building was nice than he expected, doorman and everything. He opted to take the stairs a short three flights up, and knocked on her door.

"Ready, Cool Guy?" The door swung open.

Mako had to consciously clench his jaw to keep it from dropping to the ground.

The dress had an angled hem that stopped mid calf on one leg, and sloped upward to just above the knee. The fabric was slim and tight around her toned torso. The top dipped into a salaciously low V-neck; cleavage was practically spilling out. Surprisingly, he hadn't noticed how large her breasts were under her usual station attire comprised of black slacks, a colored button-down, and her trench coat. Her hair was down in natural curly ringlets that hung below her shoulders.

Using the best acting skills he could muster, he steadied his sure-to-crack voice. "You look like a prostitute," he deadpanned.

"Well that's the point," Korra quickly applied some lipstick before pulling a pair of simple silver earrings from the counter and slid them into place. He hadn't noticed she had pierced ears either. "As I'm sure you've seen, a lot of girls from the south end up as hookers. It's not a hard cover for me to pull off."

It was a sad reality. Republic City was a place of dreams from afar, a literal light on the horizon for so many looking for a fresh start. They'd come in with wide eyes and big dreams, only to have actuality crash down upon them. They had to earn money in one of the only avenues they could; turning tricks on the corner.

"You look good in that by the way," she smiled.

"Thanks," he couldn't help but grin.

"Now make yourself useful here. Can you help me with this?" She held up a simple silver necklace that matched her earrings.

He nodded mutely, and carefully took each open end of the clasp between his fingers. With his free hand, he gently brushed her long hair to the side, fingertips just grazing the soft, tan skin of her neck. Mako struggled with the clasps, his hands shaking slightly as he tried to get the small ends to fit together.

"You doing okay back there?" She laughed, turning just enough so she could catch his eyes out of the corner of hers.

"Y-Yeah, I just don't do this sort of thing often," he said a bit too quickly.

Mako wasn't exactly sure why he was so flustered. He was just putting on a damn necklace for fuck's sake.

Finally the two ends met.

"Let's get going," Korra pulled on a light jacket and they were out the door.

Mako drove them back down to the Triple Threat Bar and parked a few blocks out. The night hangout was just on the edge of the Financial District; he could just make out the top of the Future Industries building they had visited this morning. He pulled into a spot around the block.

"Remind me what exactly we're looking for?" He watched her shrug off her light coat, her shoulders now bared to the cool evening.

"Nothing in particular. Just anything that links our victim with the bar, and maybe even the bar with the Red Killer."

"If we're lucky."

"I don't mind lucky one bit." Korra pulled a slim cigarette out from her small bag. It wasn't what she usually smoked at the station, but it fit the look she was going for. "Light me?"

He of course obliged, pulling his worn lighter from his jacket pocket.

"Let's do this," she exhaled, smoke spiraling out of her mouth and into the stale air of the car.

They slipped out of the car together and headed down the darkened street. She slipped her arm around his waist and instinctively he draped his arm casually over her shoulders.

Soon enough they approached the alley. A small throng of people was enjoying the night air. The bars run by the gangs of the city weren't exclusive for their membership, or at least most of them anyway. But that didn't mean that there wasn't a Triple Threat contingent drinking their every night. Really, trouble only happened when a rival like the Red Monsoons or the Agni Kai thought it would be fun to slip in and stir the pot a bit.

Korra playfully slapped his chest as they approached the bouncer, "Come on," she whined, her voice super sweet and playful, "you promised me a fun night out."

"Well hang on doll, the night ain't over yet," he played along.

The bouncer barely gave him a once over. His partner, on the other hand, got an eyeful from the guy. Mako was pretty sure he wasn't looking for concealed weapons, not that she had a place to stash one with what she had on.

The two slipped through the door, bodies still pressed together as they approached the bar and found a place near the corner that they could watch most of the area. It wasn't the dive he had been expecting. The counter was a solid wood that ran most of the length of the large room, an impressive array of liquors were displayed on floor to ceiling shelving behind the bartenders that moved like bees to keep all the customers happy.

"Why don't you buy me a drink?" Korra purred with a smirk. He could tell she was enjoying every second of this.

"Of course," he winked. Two could play at that game. Mako waved down the bartender with a few yuans. "I'll take a whiskey on the rocks." He slung his arm around his partner, "and you, doll?"

"Gin fizz, please."

The bartender nodded and went off to mix their drinks.

Mako scanned the crowd, his golden eyes flicking across the room for just long enough to keep the pretense that he was completely taken with the woman in his arms. Though if he had to be completely honest, Korra at his side was a distraction.

Soon enough the drinks were in front of them. He took a practiced sip of the oak colored liquid. It wasn't bad, not that he had a budget or palate to really enjoy any of the good stuff anyway.

Scanning the crowd left to right, his eyes stopped on a man alone, staring into his drink at the bar. He had been at the crime scene. As they pushed towards the body…

" _Watch it," a member of the crowd snarled when Mako pushed him out of the way. The guy had a nasty looking face with sharply angled cheekbones that stirred something in his memory._

It was him.

"Korra," he brushed his fingers over his shoulder. "The guy at the bar with the vodka. He was in the crowd at the scene."

She leaned in close, her lips brushing against his cheek. To anyone else it looked like she was ready to whisk him out of there. "You want me to pull him out back? Get him to ourselves for a bit?"

"Sounds good. But how the heck do you want to do that without stirring up a fight? He's probably a Triple Threat."

"You leave that to me." She motioned to a side door, "That probably leads to another side alley. You meet us out there."

Mako nodded and walked towards the door while his partner slid deftly though the crowd towards the man. The detective stopped at the door a looked back. Korra had moved the Triad's hand to her bare thigh, and whispered something in his ear that made him kick back the rest of his drink and grin ferally.

A twinge of some unidentifiable emotion sparked inside him. Was it disgust at the sleazy gangster's advances? Jealousy? A need to protect his partner?

Korra pulled two cigarettes out of her bag giggling, before whispering in his ear again. She was using a private smoke as an excuse. He needed to get moving if he wanted to make it to the alley before anything went down.

He jogged out and darted around the corner holding his hat in place with his left arm, his right instinctively reaching under his coat for quick access to his pistol.

The side alley was small and littered with trash. It was where the bar kept its two dumpsters. Mako leaned against the wall, his head peeking around the corner. A door at the end of the alley opened and two figures wrapped in an embrace stumbled out. Even in the dim light he could tell it was Korra. She was practically hanging on him as he pushed her against the brick wall. Quietly as he could, he approached.

Mako grabbed him by his collar and pulled the gangster off her. "We've got a couple questions for you."

Instinctively the man threw his elbow back into Mako's gut. The detective stumbled back. It was a lucky shot, right into his solar plexus. His diaphragm stuttered as he tried to breathe, but the gangster didn't give him a chance. The follow up blow hit him in the shoulder before he could reach for his gun and he dropped to the ground, just barely catching himself before his teeth shattered on the pavement. He rolled on to his back and gasped for air.

Korra punched him from behind in the fleshy area on his side. The gangster's face scrunched up as he keened in pain. She knocked his feet out from under him, as Mako rolled away in the dirt and pulled himself to his feet.

"Hands where I can see them," she held a small Saturday night special revolver.

"Where the fuck did you get that?" He hauled the gangster up and pushed him roughly against the wall.

"Under my dress. Where else?" She smirked.

The detective rolled his eyes before turning his attention to the man they lured out. "You were at the crime scene this morning."

"Yeah so?"

Mako tightened his hold, "I want to know why."

"It seemed like it was gonna be a good show."

Korra pulled the man's left sleeve up. "Triple Threat tattoo."

"It ain't illegal, sweet thing," the gangster grinned.

The door behind them swung open and loud conversation reached his ears. "What the fuck is going on here?"

Both detectives looked over.

"Hey, that's Ling there!"

Mako shoved him to the ground. He didn't have to tell Korra to move as they ran down the alley and swung around the corner. They leapt into the car, and he gunned it away as fast as he could.

"Well that was a fat load of shit," Korra slammed her head back against the seat.

"My gut says he's not involved."

She sighed, "Yeah I agree."

"Now what?"

"Back to the file I guess."

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 **Author Note:**  Longest chapter yet, and more to come! Thank you if you're following this. I'd love if you'd drop a quick review/message/tag note to let me know if someone is actually reading this.


	6. I've Got You Under My Skin

**Rating:**  M (language, violence, sex)

 **Chapter Word Count:**  ~3000

 **Summary:**  Mako is already a well-experienced homicide detective in Republic City when Beifong reluctantly assigns him to take over the case of the "Red Killer," the serial murderer that likely was responsible for the death of his parents. Little does he know that the Beifong's reassignment of Vice Detective Korra as his new partner will change things in ways he never anticipated. Noir AU

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**Chapter 6 – "I've Got You Under My Skin"**

_"But each time that I do just the thought of you_

_Makes me stop before I begin_

_'Cause I've got you under my skin."_

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Mako had an uneventful evening at his apartment that melded into an equally uneventful morning at the station. He flipped through the Red Killer file, looking for any little morsel of information that might lead them just a few inches closer to catching the bastard. Eventually he lost count of how many horrible cups of coffee he had from the break room, his mug half full of cold coffee dregs.

The conference room allocated for their use was silent save the sound of ruffling papers. Korra dropped by his office that morning to let him know she had to be in court as the arresting officer in one of her recently closed Vice Department cases. She smirked and assured him that it wouldn't take long, as the guy completely spilled his guts when she got him in the interrogation room. Korra left just before lunch, so he fended for himself and grabbed a quick bite from a street vendor nearby before continuing his work.

He would never admit it aloud, but he missed having her around. Although they had only worked together, let alone known each other for or all of something like five days, there was something special about his time with her. He could never call working on a case like the Red Killer enjoyable, however Korra made it bearable at the least.

What was evident was how different she was than him. Only now could Mako understand why Chief Beifong paired them together. They each moved and thought in different directions and planes, and when you're trying to catch a serial killer that has evaded the police for decades, a new approach is really the only next option.

"Have you seen Korra around?" A figure appeared in the conference room doorway.

Mako eyed the man closely, not recognizing him. He was incredibly pale, half his face covered by a coif of painstakingly styled hair. The blue suit he wore could only be described as ostentatious to the highest degree. His light blue shirt was rolled up past the elbows, his jacket slung casually over his shoulder.

"Not recently," Mako closed the file he was working through. "Can I help you with something?"

"She asked me to look into a bar for her," his tone of voice alone screamed that he was a sleezeball.

"Who did you say you were?"

"I didn't," his lips curled into a smirk. "But if you really want to know…the name's Tahno. Vice Department."

Of course he was from Vice. And of course he was one of Korra's co-workers. Mako narrowed his eyes and took a closer look at the man. A few odd markings on the Vice Detective's arm caught his eye. They looked like needle pricks, just below the elbow, like those that you would get from injecting one of the many drugs you could buy on the streets of Republic City, if you knew the right place to look.

Tahno caught him staring, and pulled his sleeve down hastily. "Well if you see Korra—"

"Who me?" Korra smirked, pushing past Tahno into the makeshift Red Killer headquarters. "Told you this wouldn't take long. The guy was booked, easy. Would have been back earlier, but the DA wanted to grab a late lunch. Everyone wants the latest scoop on the Red Killer."

"I got the stuff you wanted me to look into," Tahno pulled a file and handed it quickly to Korra. "If you need any more… _information_ …I'd be more than happy to look into it for you."

"What the fuck is he talking about?" Mako tried to hide his growing disgust for the man.

"Just police work. Standard things everyone should know. And if you ever want to know how a  _real_  detective works, come over to vice," he sneered, before slinking out of the room.

"Korra, what was he talking about?"

"I had him work some of his contacts to see if we could get a bit more info on that bar. He has some  _interesting_  connections."

"What, like his drug dealer?" Mako crossed his arms.

"How did you even know that?" She hissed, closing the door to the conference room.

"I'm a detective. Oh, and the fresh needle marks on his arms were a dead giveaway."

"Everyone has a vice," she muttered softly. As if on cue, she pulled a cigarette out, and wordlessly held the end for him to light.

He, of course, obliged her.

"You shouldn't be so quick to judge," smoke seeped out from between her lips. "These," Korra held up the cigarette, "are stand ins. It's easy to fall into some deep shit when you're surrounded by it every single day."

Of course he wasn't the only who kept some secrets close to the chest. In this city, everyone had something to hide.

"Tahno figures that these guys…" she flipped the file open and dropped it in front of Mako, "are weak links we could probably pay off to get a few morsels of information. But none of them are going to have the full picture alone—"

"We're not going to pay anyone off."

"Look, this might get us closer to the Red Killer—"

"At what cost?" Mako stood up. "I don't do that dirty cop work shit!"

"We haven't gotten anywhere with this today, and this is the only thing we have to go on." Korra slammed her open palms on to the table with a resounding smack.

"There's still more that we can go through," he moved towards her so they were barely a step away. "Let's keep as a last resort or something."

She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath in through her nose. Her shoulders dropped, tension ebbing away. He could tell she was trying not to escalate this situation further. Slowly, her jaw unclenched, her eyes opening to reveal her stunning blue eyes.

"Can we at least stake out some of these guys tonight?"

"I have plans."

The calm she had found gave way to a torrent of anger swirling just beneath the surface. He could have sworn that her eyes darkened at the edges. "You have that fucking date with Sato tonight, don't you?"

"Last time I checked, I don't need your approval."

"I'm just telling you it's a bad idea."

"Well good thing our investigation isn't going anywhere today," Mako grabbed his coat off the back of his chair. "I'm leaving early. I'll see you tomorrow."

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Kwong's Cuisine was the best-tasting, most fancy, and most expensive restaurant in the city. No other eating establishment even came close in any of those categories. The food and liquor, along with the incomparable atmosphere, were what justified the price to its patrons. Mako, however, was not one of those people. When he dined out, he preferred the hole-in-the-wall sort of place that had a regular clientele who came back again and again for the great food. But who was he to deny a pretty lady a dinner of her choosing?

Mako pulled his best suit out of his closet. He dressed in a black, thin cut jacket with a white silk tie, and pants that showed off his long legs all the way down to his black and white oxfords. Asami hadn't specified a time, so he called her just after he left the station for the day. She had made a reservation for seven in the evening.

"Lookin' good bro!" Bolin clapped him on the back. "Who's the lucky lady?"

"How do you know I'm even going on a date?" Mako smoothed his jacket down.

"Umm, isn't it obvious? You never dress that nicely. And you keep running your hand through your hair, and you only do that when you're nervous."

The detective's arm froze, his fingers tangled in his hair.

"So…" Bolin grinned. "Who is she?"

"You wouldn't know her," he took a closer look at what his brother was wearing. "You're going out too tonight." Not that he was surprised. His brother was out most nights anyway.

"Meeting Korra at a bar."

Mako glared at him silently.

"Relax," he dropped on to the couch. "She's not into me and I know that. She's fun. I'm fun. She likes drinking. I  _love_  drinking. She's—"

"I get the point," Mako snapped.

"Didn't know that was such a soft spot."

"It's not, but I'm going to be late." He pulled his black fedora from the hat rack by the door.

"You'll never take her home if you don't show up on time!" Bolin hollered after him.

Feeling particularly in control of his emotions, Mako just slammed the door behind him.

He slid into his car; Kwong's was only a ten-minute drive away if traffic cooperated. He pulled up into the restaurant's circle and handed his keys off to the valet. Inside, he passed his overcoat and hat off to coat check.

"Reservation?" The host looked down his nose at Mako.

"Yes, with Ms. Sato."

"Right this way, she has a private room for the evening."

The detective followed the host through the restaurant, twisting around elegantly decorated corners and past ornate displays. The host pushed open a plush door.

"Mako!" Asami got to her feet. She pulled him into a hug and kissed him on the cheek. He found this quite forward for a second meeting.

"I'm glad I was able to get away from the station tonight," he slid into the booth next to her.

She smiled, "I know that case must be taking a lot of your free time."

"And it's only just started too," he laughed.

"It means a lot to me that my mother's murder is still being looked into," she reached out and touched his hand.

"It's my job."

"And for the handsome detective working on it," she winked, "dinner is on me."

It had been a while since he last dated. He forgot how pressured he could feel to fill gaps in conversation and keep smiling and engaged.

But somehow, perhaps by an act of some supreme being, the date went really well. Mako couldn't really take the credit; she did all the work. Asami was smooth and sophisticated. Every line that came out of her mouth sounded practiced and full of poise, but not in a faux way. She was just so refined, and it was utterly jarring for him. He wasn't sure how to handle her, whether to lead or follow. Mako was utterly taken with her. Usually in these situations he was able to pull a suave façade on and take the reigns. Here, he was swept up for a ride that he wasn't ready for.

After a four-course meal and a few more cocktails and glasses of wine than he bargained for, his mind wandered. He couldn't help but wonder what Bolin and Korra were up to at whatever dive bar the two of them probably picked. His brother never liked the ritzy places, despite being able to afford them when he won a match. It probably wasn't a poor assumption to make that Korra had the same taste.

"You still there?" Asami's voice pulled him from his thoughts. She had the check in her hand.

"Are you sure I can't get the bill?" He split the remaining wine between the two of them.

"Of course not, I said it was my treat."

"Not even half?" Mako knew even that amount was probably more than he made in a month, but he felt obliged to offer anyway.

Asami paid the bill without blinking. "Nonsense."

"Thank you so much dinner," he took a risk and placed his hand on hers. "I-I really had a nice time."

"Would you like to come back to my place for another drink maybe? I have an apartment just down the block, you could get your car in the morning." She tipped her chin down with a confident grin, "I've been told I make an excellent mint julep."

The words "in the morning" played over and over again in his head. Asami Sato was planning on taking him home for the night. Yes it was sudden, but he had encounters with far less exposition than this. Sometimes that was what people needed: a time to let off a bit of steam and let go if only for a bit. It was clear that she was looking for a good time, and that wasn't something that he was going to turn down.

"Y-Yeah that's fine."

How and when they left the restaurant and stumbled down the street to a ritzy apartment building was a fog. All he knew was that once they got back into her private penthouse, making mint juleps were not on either of their minds.

She tore his jacket off while he pulled at his tie, and worked the buttons on his shirt off in record time. Mako fumbled with her dress until it pooled at her feet, revealing a lacy set of black lingerie underneath. Somehow they made their way to her bedroom, his pants and underwear discarded along the darkened hall.

Asami pushed him back to a sitting position on the bed. She dropped to her knees in front of him, lightly teasing the tip of his hard cock with her tongue. He closed his eyes and leaned heavily back on his arms. His toes curled in the plush carpet, his hands fisting the delicate comforter. God, it just felt so damn good. He couldn't even remember the last time he had a chance for release that wasn't by his own hand.

For a second, the thought passed through his mind on what it would feel like if it were Korra's mouth on him. She'd probably flash a shit-eating grin after she finished him off, pleased with her work. She'd make a quip or two with one of his nicknames thrown in.

Fuck no! He was with Asami right now and it felt damn good! His mind struggled to refocus, and he was afraid he was going to lose his hard-on. He squeezed his eyes shut even tighter, and thought only of what was going on in between his legs.

"God that feels so good…" his head dropped back. "I-If you don't stop I'm not going to have a chance to do the same for you…"

"Oh you will," she murmured, one hand still stroking him up and down. "I'll give you a chance to recover before we start again."

With that, her mouth enveloped his cock, her tongue spiraling around the tip as she bobbed her head up and down. Her hand twisted in rhythm at the base, varying tight squeezes with gentle caresses.

"That is," she hummed against him, "as long as you stay the night."

.

.

"Bolin said you didn't go home last night," Korra crossed her arms as she leaned against the conference room table. "And you got in later than me, which means that something's up."

Mako gritted his teeth. "I could ask you the same thing. You went out with Bolin. Again."

"Well, 'went out' is accurate I guess, but probably not in the way you're implying," she smirked. "I was basically his wingman all night. He really does love the ladies—"

"You're jerking him around."

"I am not!" Her voice rose above talking volume. "How many times do I have to tell you that I have not fucked, and do not plan to fuck your little brother?"

"Yeah right…" he muttered.

"Wait a second…" Korra eyed him closely. "You're wearing the same clothing you were yesterday."

"Shut up Korra—"

"You spent the night with Asami."

"Shut up Korra—" his voice increased in intensity.

"You fucked her, didn't you?"

"It's none of your business!" he hissed in anger.

"You're right," she leaned back. "It's not. Because I, unlike you, don't care about who you end up in bed with."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh come on!" She laughed. "You keep pressing me about your brother. Admit it. You like me."

"No, I'm with Asami."

"So you are then, eh?" Korra teased. She thought this was one damn big joke. "I bet you were thinking of me."

He hoped she didn't notice the blush he could feel creeping up on his face. She hit the nail on the head with that accusation. "You need to fucking get over yourself."

"Just being honest," she held a cigarette out, expecting him to light it.

"You're crazy!" He pushed her hand away.

"Well you're a liar!"

"Hey you two…" a beat cop leaned in through the conference room door.

"What?" The two yelled in unison.

"We just got a report of some doll who got attacked last night. She's sayin' it was the Red Killer."

"Dead?" Korra asked.

"No, alive. She's in the hospital, Saint Luke's."

The two partners looked at each other, their argument pausing to give way for their jobs.

"What are we waiting for?" She grabbed her hat.

"Nothing I guess," he grabbed his coat.

They were out the door without another word.

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 **Author Note:** Nobody kill me please. :D This took a bit longer than I hoped, but thank you all for sticking with me. Feedback is amazing to receive, and I'd love if you took a second to drop me a review, tags in a reblog (if you love it spread the word!), or a message. Next chapter is on the way!


	7. My Way

**Rating:**  M (language, violence, sex)

 **Chapter Word Count:**  ~2900

 **Summary:**  Mako is already a well-experienced homicide detective in Republic City when Beifong reluctantly assigns him to take over the case of the "Red Killer," the serial murderer that likely was responsible for the death of his parents. Little does he know that the Beifong's reassignment of Vice Detective Korra as his new partner will change things in ways he never anticipated. Noir AU

 **Trigger Warning:**  Rape is mentioned, no details explicit or otherwise.

.

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**Chapter 7 – "My Way"**

" _For what is a man, what has he got?_

_If not himself, then he has naught"_

.

Saint Luke's Hospital was one of the larger medical facilities in the city. The building stretched a full block on one side, and towered a full ten stories over the busy Midtown streets swollen with commuters slogging through the morning traffic rush. Mako, of course, flipped his siren and lights on, hoping to slip through congestion. But traffic can only give way so fast in complete gridlock.

Despite the slow going, the two partners rode in a thick silence, the fallout of the earlier heated argument still hung like a fog in the air between them. Mako was happy simply not to talk about it at all. It was easier to compartmentalize it off, and pretend it was completely detached from the work they did professionally together. He could just box it away and do their job. They needed to catch this bastard of a killer with no distractions.

The quiet continued when their vehicle finally broke through the traffic and pulled up in the roundabout of the Saint Luke's. The detectives slid out the car, and pushed into the lobby. People rushed across the open area, a sense of purpose under their feet as they bustled to whatever crisis called them at the moment.

Wordlessly, Korra pointed towards the reception desk across the way.

Mako nodded, and took the lead. Korra seemed content to forget the argument also, but he could see that she was still unsettled. Her hands fiddled with an unlit cigarette.

"You shouldn't smoke in here," he shattered silence between them.

"I know," she hissed. "Why do you think I haven't asked you to light it?"

He ignored her jab, and pulled his badge out, placing it on the reception counter. "Detective Mako. Republic City Police, Homicide Department. We received a report that you're treating a woman who thinks she was attacked by the Red Killer. We're the investigating officers on this case and we would like to see her."

The female receptionist nodded, looking up from her work. "I was told to expect you. I'll take you upstairs to her where you can talk to her attending physician."

Mako and Korra followed the woman into the service elevator. The receptionist hit the button for the third floor.

He always hated hospitals. The smell of bleach and the sick alone made him cringe, and the unnaturally white walls made him feel uncomfortable to an almost claustrophobic degree. When you're an orphan on the street, the hospital is a place of danger. Even though a visit could save your life, all the doctors and nurses would ask an endless stream of questions. A few missteps in answering could have landed them in protective custody. Protective custody would have split him and his brother up for good.

After what seemed like dozens of twists and turns, they finally reached the room. The door was closed, and a doctor was waiting outside.

"You must be the detectives," the man in the lab coat spoke up. He held a clipboard underneath his arm, overstuffed with papers. "I'm Dr. Keanu."

"You've been treating the victim?" Korra asked.

"Yes, she came in last night," Keanu nodded. "Her name is Nanami Wu. She was assaulted somewhere in the Financial District and was helped by a passerby. But you can probably get more information from her."

"What is the extent of her injuries?" Mako questioned.

"Well, she was sexually assaulted and got roughed up. It was an attempted rape…she was lucky that a passerby stopped to help." The doctor flipped through the file. "Other than that, she has some bruising, and a superficial cut to her throat. She was held at knifepoint during the assault. There aren't any very serious injuries, so we will be discharging her later this evening."

"Anything else we should know?" Mako noticed the curtains to the private room were drawn.

"Well a uniformed officer already took her statement statement…I would just ask that you be patient and gentle with her."

"Of course," Korra motioned to the door. "Mind if we go in?"

Keanu nodded and stepped aside.

Mako followed his partner into the small hospital room. It was overly lit, even with curtains on the windows tightly drawn. The small hospital cot was placed in the center of the far wall, a small table on either side.

"Hello Ms. Wu," Korra's voice was gentler than he had ever heard it before. "I'm Detective Korra, and this is Detective Mako. Can I call you Nanami?"

The woman nodded. She looked so small in the hospital bed, her tanned skin washed out by the white that surrounded her in ceiling, floors, walls, and blankets. This observation didn't even consider the thin gown she seemed to drown in.

"Do you think you can tell me about what happened?" His partner pulled a chair up to the side of her bed. "We're investigating the Red Killer case, and we could use a statement from you."

He couldn't help but be surprised at Korra's conduct. Suddenly, the abrasive Vice Detective faded away into a softer woman, that before this moment, he thought could have never possibly existed. Before now, was a very two-dimensional figure in his mind that seemed to only exist to irritate him. Now…well, he felt like he had a lot of reevaluating to do.

"I-I was just walking home, and the man grabbed me and held a knife to my neck…" she uttered softly, eyes trained into her lap. "He s-said i-if I called for help he would kill me right then."

"The reason we were called in was because you suspected the Red Killer," Korra smiled warmly.

"W-Who else would do this?"

Mako's gaze met Korra's for a brief moment. He felt as if they shared a second of understanding. She was on the same page as him. This wasn't work of the Red Killer. No, this was just evidence of the mounting hysteria in the city surrounding the serial killer on the loose. Cities were as much living, breathing, organic beings as they were hunks of concrete and steel bent to man's will. If they weren't able to quell the panic that simmered below the surface, this whole case could blow up right in their face.

"I think that's all we need," his partner stood up. "Thank you for your time."

The two detectives stepped quietly out of the hospital room.

"Are you thinking what I am?" Mako lead the way towards where he assumed the exit was.

"Not the Red Killer," she shook her head. "He would have stabbed her in the back with that short blade first. Dammit!" In anger she kicked a stray medical cart. Various metal instruments clattered to the floor as her temper erupted. "We don't have a lead.  _Again._ "

"Come on," he grabbed her roughly by the sleeve and pulled her into the stairwell. "You're crazy."

The fact that he had said that exact line during their morning argument hit him square in the gut. By no means did he want to dredge up their argument again. If it only it would just disappear and evaporate away.

"Get your hands off me," she shoved him against the wall. "You've got no right to manhandle me like that."

"I'm trying to keep you in check," he hissed, "I'm trying to protect you here."

"Protect me?"

Mako could tell she was taken off guard. She was his partner, which meant that his job was to watch her back and keep her out of harm's way.

"Uhh, I… yeah."

She stormed off down the stairs in front of him. "I can't wait until this fucking case is finished so I can get away from you."

"Korra!"

"Let's just check out the area where that poor girl was attacked so we can call it a fucking day."

He had no choice other than to follow after her. Maybe he didn't have much reevaluating to do about her after all. The faster they solved this case, the faster she was out of his life.

.

.

"This is the place?" Mako followed behind her through the maze of alleys in the Financial District.

Somehow this case was forming into him following Korra around. On one had, that prospect didn't seem too bad, if she wasn't acting completely crazy.

"It must be," she checked both sides of the scrap of paper she had scribbled the address down on.

The alley was nothing special. It wasn't even blocked off by police tape any longer, its irrelevance clear even to the beat cops that responded. The alley was littered with dumpsters, and overturned empty boxes that made the cut-through a quasi obstacle course in itself. There was nothing; this was a complete fool's errand.

"There is nothing here…" he frowned.

"You can't say that yet."

"No amount of mediocre cop work is going to change the fact that this lead is a total dead end."

"Did you just say,  _mediocre_?"

"Yes I did," his anger was starting to get the best of him. "In fact, I can't wait to catch this fucker. You're not my friend, and you're barely my colleague. We don't work well together."

"Wait," she narrowed her eyes, "this is still about this morning's argument, isn't it?"

"It is not—"

A group of men rounded the corner into their alley. Their loud laughter carried, echoing off the tall walls of dirty brick.

"Shit," Korra hissed.

"What is it?" Mako pretended to still have his attention solely on her.

"Those are the guys from bar that we had  _so much fun_  with…" she gritted her teeth. "We can just hope that they don't notice us and—"

"No way they are—"

"Hey! Those two are the ones that Ling grabbed the other night!"

Korra had no sooner pulled him to the ground by the back of his coat before a bullet whizzed through the air where his head would have been. She scrambled behind one of the overturned dumpsters for cover and wasted no time trading shots with the Triple Threat members long enough for him to roll behind a sturdy-looking wooden box.

Quickly, he pulled his pistol out from beneath his jacket and flipped the safety off with ease. "How many of them are there?" Mako whispered, peeking out from the side.

"There are four," she glanced over at him, her back flush against the dumpster.

He looked over the top, waiting for his targets to appear further down the alley. This kind of shootout wasn't going to last long; as soon as someone called the cops, they would have enough back-up to shoot the gangsters full of holes. Soon enough, a head slowly moved from out behind the cover of an overturned trashcan. Mako squeezed the trigger without hesitation, firing off a few rounds. Another two enemies joined the fray, emerging closer up the alley to him. Korra fired quickly at the two, the pops of gunfire echoing in his head as she suppressed their fire down.

"Are you sure there were four? I only saw three." Mako looked around, desperate for something he could use. "Slide me that bottle," he pointed to an empty beer bottle by Korra's feet.

She slid it to him without protest.

He needed to be sure that there were four combatants as she thought. "Keep their attention for a second, will you?

Korra nodded, loading a new clip into her pistol. "Hey over here!" She hollered, before waving her hand up in the air. As soon as the fire began she rolled to the side of the dumpster and fired a few quick volleys.

Mako tossed the bottle high in the air. The green-tinted glass spun and arced before falling quickly to the ground. The bottle shattered, and immediately drew fire from all the parties on the firefight. There were still only three Triple Threats.

"There are only three I—" He only had a second to realize that the fourth gangster had slipped behind them. "Korra—"

The metal barrel of the man's revolver smacked him in the temple. He seemed to fall in slow motion to the ground, his right arm twisting painfully underneath his body as he collapsed, his pistol scattering away. Unable to catch himself due to the force of the blow, his forehead rammed painfully into the gravelly pavement. Mako struggled to maintain consciousness; twilight tugged him down to the depths of sleep. Blood trickled down from the gashes on his head on to the dusty concrete below him.

Somehow, he managed to engage his left arm while his vision faded in and out. He rolled on to his stomach. A few fresh gunshots rang in his ears. If he wasn't dead yet, that meant that Korra had been able to take care of the man that beat him down. That or…the alternatives weren't great.

"Hey. Get up."

Someone rolled him over gently by the shoulder. He felt himself get pulled on to the person's knee. Mako managed to open his eyes.

"It's over," Korra helped him to sit up. "The patrol cops got here, but the Triple Threats escaped…well except the guy that tried to mess with you."

His eyes glanced over to the wall next to him. The gang member that pistol-whipped him was slumped against the wall, a gory bullet hole marred where the man's forehead once was. Mako made a mental note never to get on her bad side more than he already was.

"We're going to need to get you to the hospital to have this checked out," she brushed his hair, now covered in blood to the side. "You're lucky the guy hit you like a wuss. This could have killed you. You need to get patched up."

"I'm not going to the hospital."

"You don't really have much of a choice," she smiled and squeezed his hand.

Warmth from her caring affection flushed through him, and he was sure it wasn't just a side effect from his injury. The woman had range; he had to give her that. One moment she's comforting a victim, the next she's practically biting his head off. Then she's blasting off armed assailants, only to cradle his head in her lap.

"Please?" His voice came out a dry croak.

"Yeah…" she relented. "Let me grab a medkit and I'll drive you back to your place. You're lucky I know where you live because of Bolin. Not to mention that I've got pretty good medical training. Think you can stand up?"

Mako nodded, and gratefully slung his arm over her shoulder. They stood up together.

"Can I get a fucking medkit over here?" Korra's request sent a few alarmed police personnel scrambling. A medical kit was in her free hand in no time at all.

Carefully, she helped him into the passenger side of the car.

"Here," She gave him a pad of gauze. "Hold it to your forehead so you don't bleed all over your nice leather interior, okay?"

He followed her instructions. In the end, Korra really did care.

"I'm sorry…about earlier…" he allowed his eyes to close.

"You don't have to—"

"Yes. Yes I do." He needed to make this right. "I can get…hot-headed sometimes. You're one hell of a cop, and anything I said otherwise was my anger getting the best of me."

"I know the feeling…I'm sorry I egged you on through all the arguments today. I just started pushing your buttons and didn't think enough to stop. Things are kind of confusing, huh?"

Mako didn't know exactly what she was referencing. Confusing like this case? How the Triple Threat members just happen to be around the area where the girl was assaulted. Confusing like the relationship (or lack there of) between his brother and Korra? Or confusing like how he knew he wanted to keep dating Asami, but thoughts of his new partner had begun to creep in.

"Yeah…confusing. Thanks for not giving up on me though." He smiled.

"Well, I'm hoping we can be friends."

Soon enough they reached his apartment. He leaned heavily on Korra as they climbed the stairs. His consciousness of the situation waned as his need for rest increased with each step he struggled to make.

"Bolin…just needs to be patched up…and rest…" Korra's voice drifted into his mind.

Two sets of hands dragged him into bed. A soft hand cleaned his forehead off with lukewarm water. A cup of tea tipped into his open mouth.

All the while he fell asleep, knowing there is much to be done. That night he dreams of the Red Killer and his partner with her bright blue eyes.

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 **Author Note:**  Hope you all enjoyed it! I would love to hear your feedback as usual. Reviews, comments in the tags, messages, and reblogs especially are well welcomed. See you next chapter!


	8. The Very Thought of You

**Rating:**  M (language, violence, sex)

 **Chapter Word Count:**  ~3300

 **Summary:**  Mako is already a well-experienced homicide detective in Republic City when Beifong reluctantly assigns him to take over the case of the "Red Killer," the serial murderer that likely was responsible for the death of his parents. Little does he know that the Beifong's reassignment of Vice Detective Korra as his new partner will change things in ways he never anticipated. Noir AU

.

.

**Chapter 8 – "The Very Thought of You"**

" _The mere idea of you, the longing here for you_

_You'll never know how slow the moments go till I'm near to you"_

.

"You feeling okay?" Korra eyed him with concern as he threw himself down into a chair.

"Yeah a bit," he grimaced. His temple was covered by a palm-sized adhesive bandage, a bit of dried blood was visible at the edges. "Woke up with a headache so I popped a few aspirin. Thanks again for patching me up last night."

"It's not a problem," she smiled. "You ready to get to work?"

"Of course…wait," he noticed the large board that had been carted into the room. A huge map of Republic City was attached and littered with red thumbtacks. "Where the fuck did you get the map?"

"I stole it from the lobby." She said it like it was no big deal.

"I'm not going to even comment on that."

She flashed a grin, "I figured, but we need it. I was up late last night, and I figured that maybe just visualizing where the kills have taken place would help us out."

Mako stood up too quickly; his head immediately began to throb and he reached out to the table for support.

"You should have taken the day off."

As if they had time for that. They both knew that the pressure to catch this guy was increasing with every day he remained on the loose. On his commute in, he caught a minor headline on the front page of the Republic City Daily that spoke of how frustrated "tough on crime" City Councilman Tarrlok was with the seeming lack of progress. If things continued how they were going, Chief Beifong was going to have to make a statement to the press, which would only further the attention on the case. It was a never-ending cycle that only could end with the Red Killer in cuffs. Considering all that, Mako decided to ignore his partner's remark.

"So each pin represents a victim?"

"Or at least as close as I could get," Korra nudged the file towards him.

He squinted at the map. The red pins were numbered in what he assumed was chronological order. They were clustered tightly around the Financial District, but he counted at least thirteen outliers that were scattered throughout the city. Mako recognized two of the pins nestled into the same point in the Upper West Side. It was a small side street that he would never be able to forget.

"Most of the old killings were scattered through worse neighborhoods, while every single one of the killings since victim number twenty, where the MO changed, has happened in the Financial District."

"What are you thinking then?"

"I'm thinking that with the Red Killer being around so long, other cold-case killings were bound to get tossed into this file because they were incomplete. The MO seems to fit with certain victims, what with the throat slitting—"

"I get your point," he waved her off quickly, not wanting to delve into details of his parents in such a…clinical fashion.

"It's almost like we're working with two different killers. Either that, or something big happened to change this bastard's MO. Do you think it could be a business man or something?" Her face scrunched up in thought.

"Maybe?"

It was a difficult blanket claim to make. Anyone had access to the Financial District of course, and it was a popular neighborhood to walk through as it was located right at the tip of Republic City that jutted out into the harbor towards Temple Island. What was clear, however, was that a pattern of some sort was emerging. Hopefully with more evidence they could piece together this case.

"While you were sleeping off your head wound, I was spending some quality time with our file here. We have a problem—"

"Mako!"

The two detectives had their attention wrenched towards the door.

"Asami?" He stood rooted in place. "W-What are you doing here?"

"I came to see if I could steal you away for lunch…what happened to your head?" Asami closed the distance between them that he was evidently unwilling to remove himself. She gingerly placed a hand on his cheek.

Mako caught Korra's icy glare from the corner of his eye and swallowed the urge to cringe. "It's just a scratch…just something that happened on the case."

"If so say so…" she wasn't fully dissuaded, but seemed content not to pusher her point. She turned to Korra having just noticed her presence. "Korra," her voice was cordial.

"Ms. Sato," his partner nodded and pulled a cigarette out of the half empty carton on the table.

"You really can call me Asami you know."

"I'll keep that in mind," her smile didn't quite meet her eyes.

He couldn't read his partner at all. In fact, this was the most straight-faced he had ever seen her. From his experience, Korra always threw herself headfirst into every single situation she managed to get herself into. But here…well he didn't know how to describe it. She wasn't quite cold or curt with Asami, but she certainly wasn't welcoming the woman with open arms. Of course, there was history between the two with Korra's leading position on the Sato case. But even with that, he couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't seeing the whole picture. He was missing something, he had to be.

Mako moved over to Asami and slung his hand around her waist. "I really can't do lunch today. How about dinner tonight? I'll pick a local joint. How's that sound?"

"Lovely," she kissed him on the cheek. "I'll meet you…"

"—Here. Meet here at five for an early dinner?"

"It's a date!" Asami waved as she left the room.

Korra smirked, kicking her feet up on the conference room table. "If that wasn't awkward, I don't know what is."

"Shut up," he frowned. He hated being on the receiving end of that smug grin of hers.

"And well gosh darn it Mako, if I had known we could bring guests in here—"

"Do you have a problem with Asami?" The words left his mouth before he had a chance to think.

She glared at him, "If you're asking if I have a  _personal_  problem with Asami Sato, then no I don't."

"Then what is up with you? We're looking into her mother's death on this case and I went out on a date with her. What's the big deal?"

Korra took a deep breath before speaking. "I'll say this. Asami Sato is a woman who knows what she wants, and knows exactly how to get it. She's a daddy's little girl that is used to getting her way."

The fact that she seemed to be picking her words carefully without getting carried away and launching an argument caught him off guard. He hadn't known her long, but her propensity for bickering was pretty damn clear already.

"What do you mean by that?" Mako pressed.

"Look," she sighed, "I didn't want the whole monitoring deal that we got over Future Industries when we booked Hiroshi. I wanted to keep digging. With a drug ring as big as we were dealing with, cutting the head off isn't enough to flush out the whole organization. All Asami had to do was bat her eyes and the DA thought it was enough to jail Hiroshi and take the good publicity."

"…So you think Asami was involved."

"No, the point is I don't know!" Anger finally crept into her voice. "I never had the chance to find out."

"Okay okay," he raised his hands up in surrender. "What were you saying earlier about the case?"

"So as I was saying, we have a problem—"

"Wait…" he held up a hand.

"Really? I'm going get interrupted twice before I can say something case related?"

"Fuck, I promised Bolin I would go out for dinner with him tonight."

Seeing Mako get dragged in to the apartment bloody and beaten had been a surprising reversal in the brother's respective roles. It shook Bolin enough that he wanted to get some "quality time" in as they hadn't had much opportunity as of late at all, what with his professional boxing career. From what Mako could tell, his brother was serious about it too. Apparently he cancelled a date with a doll he really liked.

"Well looks like you'll have to cancel one."

He hated being in situations that pulled him in two directions. He knew that with each decision came consequences that could hurt the parties involved. The last person he wanted to hurt was Bolin, and her certainly didn't want to nip the budding relationship he had with Asami. She was great, she really was. Funny, interesting, and sophisticated, but that didn't change the fact that he barely knew her. He couldn't give up on Bolin.

"Better idea," he looked her in the eye. "You come too."

"What?" Korra snickered, "You want me there so Bolin doesn't third-wheel, don't you?"

"Please?" The last thing he wanted to do was have to plead with her. All it would do was boost her already inflated ego, and he only had so much dignity to give.

"Fine, but you buy me dinner."

"Deal."

"And booze."

Mako groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Alright, alright. Deal."

"As I was saying earlier before I was rudely interrupted  _twice_ , our case file is missing a bunch of information."

"You're kidding."

"I'm not."

He had been through the file dozens of times since they had started on the case, and not once had it occurred to him that anything was missing. The file was old after all, and was bound to feel incomplete next to the ever-improving Republic City Police Department documentation standards.

"We're missing complete medical examiner reports, especially the photos for just about every murder."

"Holy shit…you're right," his eyes widened. "I have no idea how I missed that."

"I missed it too," she shrugged. "So you know what that means."

"We need to pay the coroner a visit, don't we?"

Yes, the coroner who couldn't get his ass out of bed to get to the crime scene of the last legitimate Red Killer victim. The guy's medical degree was as shoddy as the tenement houses on the north side of the Twin Crossings Bridge. He spent more time roulette table then at his autopsy table. Overall, the guy was bad news and didn't deserve to be in office for a second longer than he already was.

Korra nodded and grabbed her coat off the rack. "Let's get this over with. Oh, and by the way, I'm driving today."

"You've got to be kidding."

"Hey I'm not the one who was smacked in the head yesterday!" She pulled a cigarette and held it out for him to light. "Now lets get going, City Boy."

.

.

The drive to the downtown coroner's office was quick. Korra sped through the Republic City streets in a car that was befitting of a Vice Detective: a very new, roofless Satomobile. Mako let his head fall against the soft leather of the headrest. Today was already turning out to be more than he bargained for. Maybe he should have stayed home today. There was just so much on his plate: Bolin was worried about him, the case was growing in complexity each day, and he had no idea where he stood with Asami, who seemed adamant to continue on with him.

Relationships were complicated, and complicated was typically what he tried to avoid.

"Hey Mako," a hand shook him gently on the shoulder. "Did you doze off? We're here."

"Great," he pulled his fedora off his lap and slipped it on.

Korra lit up a cigarette from the lighter in the car. "All we need to do is get the pictures and go."

The coroner's office was an old building in the city center that was shared with a few other miscellaneous city government offices. The age of the facility showed; the lights flickered as they headed down the hall lined with white walls stained with grime. They didn't pass a single person on their way in. Finally, the detectives reached the office, hidden deep within the poorly lit building. Right at the center, a man slumped over a desk stacked high with papers and files.

"We're here to see the coroner," Mako leaned on the cluttered desk. "We're with Republic City PD Homicide Department. This is about the Red Killer case." He pulled his badge out from inside his jacket.

The man didn't even bother to look in their direction, "He's out on a golf lunch."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me…" Korra mumbled under her breath.

"We need to talk to someone.  _Now._ " Mako stressed.

The sudden streak of anger caught the man's attention. "I-I…Jiro can help you. He's downstairs in the morgue." He pointed to narrow flight of stairs that lead down a level.

"Thank you  _so much_  for all your help," her voice dripped with sarcasm.

Mako grabbed her by the sleeve and pulled her towards the dank staircase, "Lets go, come on."

The stairs spiraled downwards into an office. Unlike the rest of the building above, the facility was lit brightly with harsh fluorescent light. Two large windows looked out into the morgue proper, giving the detectives a clear view of the rows of covered bodies. Dr. Zhou moved through the rows clipboard in hand.

Korra knocked gently on the glass to catch the doctor's attention.

Slightly startled, the doctor caught view of the detectives and hurried over. "I'm sorry I didn't see you there," Zhou stepped into the office. "And…I'm still sorry about what happened at the scene the other day I—"

"Forget it," Mako waved him off. He knew he had been out of line earlier, and he was willing to forget the young medical examiner's transgression.

"Are you here about the Red Killer?"

Korra nodded, "We just need the files so we can continue our investigation."

"Would you mind if I showed you something first?" Zhou motioned towards the door. "I spent some time with the partial files, and I think I noticed something when I was going through the pictures."

"We'll take anything that helps," Mako encouraged him to continue, "What do you have for us?"

Zhou pulled out a stack of photos, each neatly labeled with the number and name of the victim. "This right here," he pointed to the photos.

"You're gonna have to be a little more specific," Korra furrowed her brow.

"These are all the pictures of the posterior stab wounds on all the victims," the medical examiner explained. "See this right here." He pointed to a fuzzy marking that appeared on each side of the wound. It looked almost like the makings of a shape, and appeared on a straight-line axis each side of the injury.

"What is that?" She pulled one of the photos close. "It's in all of these."

"Exactly," Zhou nodded. "Follow me."

The two detectives followed him through the door into the morgue. The heavy odor of formaldehyde caught Mako off guard. The appalling smell went straight to his gut, and made his stomach churn with disgust.

"This is Yumi Sh from the other day," the medical examiner pulled back the white sheet. The girl was naked facedown on the metal slab. "Notice this here," he pointed to the stab wound.

"Is that the same marking from the other victims?" Korra leaned over the table.

"That's what I think. It's bruising for sure. I think it's a mark from the guard of whatever knife was used."

The guard left the markings of a triangle on either side of the wound. Mako couldn't help but shake the Triple Threat Triad connection to all this; a triangle wasn't lessening his thoughts that the gang wasn't somehow tied up in this.

"That's not a typical thing," Mako crossed his arms. "You wouldn't just be able to get that at any store. It's probably custom."

"Whoever you killer is, he's been using that knife for each murder," Zhou led them out of the morgue and into the office. "But knowing that…there are a few murders that don't seem to fit with this new Red Killer fact. So by my opinion, there are a few victims you can disregard," he pushed a file towards Korra.

"So this victim didn't have the bruises from the knife guard, and these two where not even stabbed in the back but killed together by just a slit to the throat—" Korra froze.

Mako's heart sank.

"…Zhou I think we have everything we need," she changed the subject abruptly. "We'll be in touch."

The Red Killer didn't kill his parents; he didn't need Korra to tell him to know. She had to nudge up the stairs and back to the car as he practically dragged his feet the entire way. Years of what he thought he knew about his parents' death had been wound back in just a few seconds. After years of not knowing, snooping through the Red Killer files at least gave him a face to hate. Now…well things were just as unsolved as they were before.

"You put two and two together, didn't you?" Korra stopped him when they reached the hallway.

"Yeah…yeah I did."

"I'm sorry…" she pulled him into a hug.

Mako stiffened immediately in her embrace. Today was throwing him all sorts of curveballs. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her smaller form and accepted the comfort that was offered. The hug was short, and soon enough she pulled away. Some part of him wanted to pull her back in towards him.

"I know a lot of your motivation to work this case was finally solving your parents' case."

He nodded, "But it doesn't change how badly I want to catch this bastard. And we're one step closer with this knife lead."

"You've had a long day. Let's get back to the station. I'll get Tahno and his connections to dig up some leads on shops that might have this sort of thing, and that have Triple Threat connections," she lead him outside to her waiting car. "Unless something big comes up, we can wait to check out the list of places we get until tomorrow."

"Are you sure?" He slid into the passenger side.

"You've had a long week, and it's only Thursday."

Mako lips curled into a small smile, "You're full of surprises, you know that right?"

She shook her head in amusement, "Gotta keep you on your toes somehow. Oh, and that's not going to get you out of buying me dinner and booze during that damn date you're dragging me and Bolin on."

"It's hardly a date anymore though."

"No kidding. Good job, Cool Guy."

Now all he had to do was somehow survive dinner.

.

.

 **Author Note:**  Kind of a story-building chapter. Starting with the next one things really start to kick off. Hope you enjoyed!


	9. Mack the Knife

**Rating:**  M (language, violence, sex)

 **Chapter Word Count:**  ~3400

 **Summary:**  Mako is already a well-experienced homicide detective in Republic City when Beifong reluctantly assigns him to take over the case of the "Red Killer," the serial murderer that likely was responsible for the death of his parents. Little does he know that the Beifong's reassignment of Vice Detective Korra as his new partner will change things in ways he never anticipated. Noir AU

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**Chapter 9 – "Mack the Knife"**

" _You know when that shark bites with his teeth, babe_

_Scarlet billows start to spread_

_Fancy gloves, though wears old MacHeath, babe_

_So there's never, never a trace of red"_

.

Mako was usually the kind of guy who held himself to high expectations. After all, he didn't have the highest case closure rate of the Homicide Department through luck.

Tonight, however, was an exception. He was just hoping to get through this Friday night dinner alive.

The day was already horrible before Bolin and Asami showed up at the station, each expecting to get the one-on-one dinner that he promised them. Luckily pulling Korra into the meal was enough to appease Bolin, who was just looking to spend some time with him in any capacity. But Asami, on the other hand, was not thrilled with the whole situation. He had to think fast to diffuse her anger, and managed to promise a nice evening afterwards as consolation.

Somehow he managed to drag the unlikely crew to Narook's Seaweed Noodlery, and leveraged Bolin's popularity to get them a semi-private table in the corner of the bustling restaurant.

"I mean come on!" Bolin finally paused his eating. "You live in a mansion! That's so cool!"

"Actually I don't," Asami shrugged. "It ended up feeling odd living on the estate on my own. So I bought a penthouse for myself. I keep the mansion for official Future Industries functions and such though."

Korra huffed, clearly not impressed by the showing of wealth. Mako could only hope that she wouldn't start a fight with Asami over it. He already made it very clear that acting pleasant for this dinner was a huge favor for him; he just needed her to stay true to her word.

"So you must be pretty busy with all the training," Asami took a sip of her gin and tonic.

"Oh yeah!" Bolin sputtered, his mouth half full of rice. "Well, my last bout was last week, which I won by the way. But I probably won't fight again for another month or two, so I get to take it easy."

"How did you get into boxing in the first place?" She asked, seeming genuinely interested.

"Well," he finally took a second to swallow the half-chewed food in his mouth. "When Mako and I were on the streets—"

Mako kicked him in the shin under the table. Having to spill his guts about his childhood wasn't exactly what he had in mind for his second "date" with Asami, if he could even call it that. Fuck, he didn't even have the heart to tell Bolin that he wasn't on the case of their parents' killer. He was going to have to tell him eventually, but prolonging blissful ignorance wasn't such a bad thing to do.

Bolin shot him a dirty look before continuing. "I just got good at winning fights. So when I got old enough, I started boxing for real money."

"Wow," Asami leaned in. "I've done a bit of boxing training myself. Not a lot, but I'd love to drop by your gym when you're getting ready for your next match."

"Oh really?" Korra's voice dripped with sarcasm, but there was genuine surprise behind her words.

"Well it doesn't pay to be defenseless, whether in the boardroom or the gym."

"I can respect that," she shrugged.

Asami tapped her temple, "Being physically sharp means that I can be more mentally sharp. Getting a few rounds in with a trainer is a great way to let off some steam and clear my mind. You can't be afraid to mix it up sometimes."

"Maybe I had you pegged wrong," Korra took a swig of her beer.

"People have always assumed I was some sort of helpless princess," the businesswoman stirred her drink absentmindedly, "I think a lot of that perception went away after…you know…"

Korra looked downwards, away from the other woman's gaze.

Mako couldn't blame her. The relationship between the two women was riddled with mines. Neither was able to trust the other with the broken remnants of the Sato drug ring case tugging them down. But yet, there was another apprehension he could just barely sense in Korra towards Asami. He didn't know his new partner nearly well enough to pick out what it was. Part of him wanted to feel that it was jealousy, but no, that couldn't possibly be right.

Like she had any affection for him. Korra was just his partner. She wanted to protect, help, and heal him. Her actions that went above and beyond what partners were required and expected to do had to be her just being a great cop.

Asami took the bill from the waiter before anyone had a chance to protest. "This was nice. I really think we should do this again."

"For sure!" Bolin grinned. "I'm not forgetting that you wanted to drop by the gym and train a bit with me!"

"Not to worry," Asami handed the check to the waiter. "I'll give you a call and we will set something up." She gestured to Mako and Korra, "Maybe you two would like to join us?"

"Don't expect me to go easy on you," Korra flashed a cocky grin.

"Then you'd better expect the same."

Asami slid her hand up Mako thigh as she stood up from the table. "I hope to see you all soon." She slipped her hand into Mako's, as Bolin and Korra waved goodbye and headed off in different directions into the Republic City night.

Mako interlaced his fingers with hers. "I'm sorry about how tonight turned out—"

"Honestly, it was nice." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "A lot nicer than I expected."

"Well that's a relief," he laughed.

She pulled him into a quick kiss. "Would you like to come back to my penthouse tonight?" Her voice was sweet and seductive, pulling him further in with every word that rolled off her tongue.

"How could I possibly say no?"

They hailed a cab and rushed to her building. Although they could have walked, a sense of urgency flickered in the air between them. Asami overpaid the cab driver as they hurried out of the Satomobile and inside through the lobby. The two stumbled out of the elevator on to her private floor thoroughly disheveled, clothing falling off piece by piece as they struggled to make it to the master bedroom.

He needed this. He needed this _badly_. Mako wanted everything but the present to fall away. He needed to forget the day and it's bad tidings, and surrender to something other than pain.

And surely, they did. Everything in the world but Asami washed away as she ran his hands over his bare skin. It felt good; good enough to let oblivion find him. Their lips met furiously, bodies melding together over and over again until neither had the energy to continue. He rolled off her and pulled the covers over each of their bare forms. She gave him another sweet kiss before rolling over in the silk sheets away from him to find sleep.

This was easy. It was a thought that he couldn't avoid. Their bodies, sticky with sweat from their coupling, lay separated. Mako let his eyes drift shut and hoped that he would wake up feeling rested.

.

.

"I see you bothered to stop home before coming in today," Korra smirked over her mug of coffee. "And what's this whole deal with me beating you into the station? You're slacking, Cool Guy."

Mako smoothed over the suit he threw on hurriedly during his quick morning pit stop to his apartment. "Oh shut up."

"I take it you had a great night with your girlfriend then."

The word "girlfriend" caught him off guard. He and Asami had really only been on one real date, but then again they had sex on two separate evenings. But they had not yet taken an opportunity to speak about what exactly they had going on between them.

"Yeah yeah, just go ahead and get it all out of your system," he dropped into a chair across the table from her.

"No, I'm done. Just glad you put on clean clothes today because we have a lot to do."

"What? Is clean clothing not normal for you?" Tahno leaned against the open door. "Maybe you're even…worse than I thought."

"Great to see you again," Mako deadpanned.

"Just give me what you've got and get out of here," Korra stood up, pulled the file from his grasp, and then dropped back into her seat.

Tahno grinned, "Well if you wanted  _that_  detective—"

"Shut your trap, dirt bag," Mako rolled his eyes.

"Alright," Tahno ran his hand through his hair, and held his hands up in a sort of mock surrender. "I pulled all the shops that might make or sell something like this. It's probably custom though."

"Great," he glared at the dirty cop, hoping to drive him out.

"I think you owe me, Detective Korra," Tahno leaned on the table, looming over her. "I had to run through a lot of my… _contacts_  to get this sort of information for you."

"Get. Out." Mako snarled.

"Not even a thank you," Tahno vanished with a flourish into the busy station.

"How do you even stand that guy?" Mako sighed, glad to be alone again with Korra.

"He has his…uses," she flipped through the file she took without looking up.

"Uses?"

"Looks like we have a bunch of possible locations…more than I thought we would."

He pushed the file down from her face with one finger. "You didn't answer the question."

She quirked an eyebrow at him, "Can we get back to things that actually matter?"

A thin grin spread over his lips. Finally, he had something that he might be able to hold over his annoying partner's head. After all the ribbing he had endured about Asami, he finally had a bit of ammo in his arsenal. Tahno was a weak spot. But today was not the day, so he mentally pocked the tidbit of information.

"Okay then," Mako slumped back. "Where do we need to go?"

"We've got a list here," she slid the paper to the middle of the table so they could both look over it. "They're pretty scattered…"

Mentally, he highlighted the areas that they had to visit. This was going to be an all day scavenger hunt throughout Republic City. They were going to have to go into every one of these shops, hope that whomever was working there at the time could even help them, and pray that the Triple Threats weren't going to be lurking around the corner.

"Why don't we start with the locations around here, migrate to the Financial District, and then cross over into Dragon Flats?" Korra stood up to look at the large map in the room.

Dragon Flats was the hotbed of Triple Threat Triad activity; he knew from personal experience. If the Triple Threats were connected somehow, their neighborhood was going to be the place.

.

.

"What's the next on the list?" Mako started up the engine on his Satomobile.

The search had taken them all day. Not all the locations had addresses, so they had to hunt down the storefronts through the poor instructions that Tahno relayed to them. The chase through the region around the station took them all the way until lunch, when they stopped at a quick café to keep their energy up. The even less organized search through the Financial District was also fruitless, and led them all the way until dinner. They decided to pick up a quick meal from a street vendor.

"Next one is in Dragon Flats," Korra read off the list. Now more than half of the locations crossed off. "It's a custom blade store."

Mako couldn't deny that he was getting frustrated. Every single time they ended up in a shop, they found nothing resembling the craftsmanship they were looking for. This knife was crucial for them to move forward on the Red Killer case; they just needed to find the linchpin.

He navigated through the dense, Financial District traffic. The streetlamps slowly flickered to life as darkness crept over the city. Neon signs began to brighten to advertise the nightlife inside, their bright colors inviting in those looking for some Saturday night fun.

"It should be the next street over. Why don't you pull over here and we can go up on foot?" Korra pointed to a vacant area.

The neighborhood was quiet, deserted even. Kids didn't exactly run around alone at night in Dragon Flats. The partners walked side by side down the street until the shop front appeared across the road. It looked just as run-down as the rest of the area, but the lights on inside told him that they still had a chance to catch someone before closing time. Bars covered the dusty windows, slightly obscuring the "we're open" sign that hung within. Nothing seemed too out of the ordinary, until a man in a dark coat just outside the door caught his eye.

Mako pulled Korra back behind the corner they had emerged from. "You see that guy at the door?"

She looked around the corner quickly. "I don't think he's just loitering around for fun."

"He's probably a Triple Threat. Great, we really don't want to be spotted going in there like this and—"

"Wait…" Korra held a hand up to stop him. He could almost see the gears in her mind turning behind her bright blue eyes. "I have an idea. But you might not like it."

"Well, it's all we've got." He had no clue what was going on in that head of hers.

She peeked around the corner once more, "Just follow my lead. Act really drunk. We're going to stumble over to the alley that's alongside the store. The goon will probably follow us. When he gets close, we make a move and knock him out."

Without protest, he slung his arm around her shoulder.

"You're gonna have to pull me closer if you want to make this convincing."

"Fine," he huffed and rolled his eyes.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

They rounded the corner and shifted into character. Korra giggled very uncharacteristically as she clung to him. Together they stumbled across the street, fake drunken smiles plastered on. It seemed to be working too; the suspected Triple Threat member was looking in their direction as they approached.

"Oh Mako…" she tucked her head into his body. He had never heard her voice like this; there was a sultry undertone running underneath. He wouldn't have minded hearing her speak to him like that again.

"You had a good night, right doll?" He slurred semi-convincingly.

Together they tripped over the curb and passed towards the alley, the guard eying them suspiciously the whole way. Slowly, they rounded the corner, and leaned together against the brick alley wall. Mako watched the man step out into the alleyway behind Korra. Slowly, he pushed her jacket open and reached for her gun.

Suddenly, her hand covered his, just as his fingers brushed her shoulder holster within her coat. He was unable to mask his showing of confusion as his eyes met hers. This was the plan. Get him close, and then take care of him. What the hell was she doing?

Quickly, she grabbed him by the scarf and pulled him down for a kiss. Her mouth slid over his as he froze, panicked at this sudden development. This wasn't something that they were supposed to do, not in the slightest. But the seduction of the kiss pulled him under thread by thread. Mako cupped her face and pushed back into the kiss, pouring in a passion from within he didn't know existed. His eyes closed of their own accord as she pulled him deeper into the kiss. Part of him didn't want this moment to end.

Her lips jerked away from his as she pulled her gun from its holster. She spun and hit the man across the face with the hard metal side of the gun with a sickening crack.

"T-That was good…" Mako stuttered.

"I-I uhh, yeah." Despite the darkness, a blush crept up into her cheeks.

"Do you…uh, want to see if he's a Triple Threat?"

"Oh!" She quickly crouched and rolled the man's sleeve up, revealing the signature triangular tattoo. "Yeah, he's one of them alright." Korra dragged him to the side of the alley and propped him up so he looked more or less like a passed out drunkard.

The partners stood in awkward silence, suddenly aware of an odd electricity between them.

"You know that was just a distraction…right?" She rubbed the back of her neck.

"O-Of course. What else would it be?"

She chuckled nervously, "Let's just get this shop over with."

Quickly, they rounded the corner and opened the door to the shop. The store was small, and dust covered many of the countless knives up for display all over the ls. The blades ranged from tiny to sword-sized, many of them curved and serrated for purposes he could only imagine.

"Is someone there?" The voice came from the back of the store.

The partners slowly approached the counter. A bespectacled old man sat at a workbench, sharpening a knife with a worn leather strap.

"We were wondering if you could help us," Mako pulled out the sketch of the blade that Zhou drew.

"You're cops," the old man turned away from his work.

"Is that a problem?" Korra asked.

The craftsman looked around the store, "Did anyone see you come in?"

"We took care of the guard outside," she assured him.

"Alright," he held his hand open, and Mako passed him the sketch. "Yes, I remember making this…but it was a long time ago."

"Do you know who ordered it?" Mako could feel a sense of excitement rising up within him.

"I'm sure it's not a leap for you to know that he was a…Triple Threat," the old man whispered. "But I keep most of my custom orders in the back, so I can take a look later and let you know on Monday."

Mako slipped him a business card. "Please call us if you find anything."

"Of course…" the old man smiled sadly. "It's not great living under the Triple Threat's thumb. My name is Yi Seok by the way."

"We will be in touch," Korra smiled.

The two detectives shook Seok's hand and took their lead.

"Well, all of this could have gone a lot worse," Korra took the lead as they hurried to the car.

Yes, it could have gone worse. They now knew that the Triple Threats had to be involved, and they were on their way to getting a solid lead on the Red Killer and a name if they were extremely lucky. But the kiss still swirled in his mind. Was it really just a "distraction" in the sense that it lured the Triple Threat close enough? Mako knew for sure that it was a distraction from their relationship as partners. He couldn't help but remember fondly the feeling of her lips against his.

"Back to the station?" She flipped on the police scanner.

He could have sworn she was staring at his lips. Mako shook that thought from his mind and shifted into gear. It was a Saturday night, and all he wanted to do was fall into bed alone and take Sunday off. Slowly, he pulled into the front of the station.

"Reports of an 11-17 in Dragon Flats," the police radio crackled to life.

He tried to tune out the fire report from his mind.

"Roger that. 11-41, at least one inside," another voice chimed in.

"Did you catch the address?" Korra reached for the headset, and hastily plugged it in and pulled it over her ears. She kept silent, listing carefully to the static-ridden transmission. "Mako…the shop. It's been torched."

.

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 **Author Note:**  Thank you all for waiting!


	10. You Better Go Now

**Rating:**  M (language, violence, sex)

 **Chapter Word Count:**  ~3300

 **Summary:**  Mako is already a well-experienced homicide detective in Republic City when Beifong reluctantly assigns him to take over the case of the "Red Killer," the serial murderer that likely was responsible for the death of his parents. Little does he know that the Beifong's reassignment of Vice Detective Korra as his new partner will change things in ways he never anticipated. Noir AU

.

.

**Chapter 10 – "You Better Go Now"**

" _I want you so now_  
You have lips I love to touch  
You better go now  
You better go, 'cause I like you much, too much"

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"Hang on!" Mako flipped the siren system on and pulled the car in a sharp U-turn in the middle of the street.

The other Satomobiles on the road screeched to a halt as the unmarked police car sped in the opposite direction. Traffic parted quickly out of their way as they rushed back to the Dragon Flats neighborhood.

Thoughts raced through Mako's head at a furious pace. Was this a coincidence? Did someone see them enter the shop? Were they really getting that close to the Red Killer? Aside from the questions, he couldn't help but think that they had created a major blunder by visiting that shop in the way that they did. He was just so preoccupied with moving forward on the case, he forgot to keep questioning everything to be sure that they made the right move.

"The timing just seems too good, doesn't it?" Mako shook his head.

"Look, usually I'm the one who jumps into things without thinking," the corner of her lips curled into a small smile. "We don't know anything yet. Let's get the facts we can then go from there."

Korra was right. They really had no clue what had happened, and they wouldn't until they got there.

"Almost there," he pulled the car around the final corner.

The street they had walked down just an hour ago was bathed in an orange flickering glow. Large flames burst through the low roof and cast dancing shadows across the street. Firefighters frantically sprayed the blaze with hoses from every angle possible, desperate to quell the flames. The fire was nothing short of an inferno that threatened to burn down the entire city block, and it was already clear to Mako that the building was gone; containment was the goal.

He pulled the car around, siren still blazing, as close as he could to the line of barriers that restrained the curious crowd.

Korra jumped out of the car first and didn't even pause to flash her badge at the line of uniformed cops. She vaulted one of the waist-high barriers and elbowed past the officers.

"She's with me," Mako flashed his badge and chased after his partner. "Get one of your guys on taking pictures of the crowd. Send all the developed shots to homicide."

"What happened here?" Korra approached the fire squad captain, denoted by the white helmet.

"The shop went up so fast it was mostly destroyed by the time we got here," the captain wiped his brow with his ash-covered jacket sleeve. "We're just trying to keep the whole block from burning down. The winds are on our side though, so it doesn't look like it'll jump over any streets or alleys and give us more trouble."

"Hey you!" Korra flagged down one of the cops from the barricade. "Find me the cop that has this patrol tonight…they've got to be nearby."

"Right away!" The cop ran to the barrier and began immediately speaking to the other officers present.

"Do you have any idea what started the fire?" Mako pulled the fire captain's attention back to him.

"No," he shook his head. "We'll need to finish putting the blaze out completely before I can get one of my fire marshals in there."

"The radio said that there was a person inside?" Korra coughed in the smoke filled air.

The captain shook his head, "We had that report from the original 911 call, but we haven't really been able to enter the shop yet. Hoping there wasn't…"

"This shop is a place of interest in an investigation," Mako pulled a business card from his jacket. "When you get the fire marshal's results, give the department a call on this line and extension."

"Of course."

There was no reason to give the firefighters any fodder to spread to the press. The last thing they needed was to have reporters all over them that the Red Killer case wasn't going as well as anyone had hoped. Luckily, another building fire in the Dragon Flats district wasn't going to be a front-page story in a rush afternoon edition of the Republic City Post, or even warrant a news bulletin that interrupted normal radio programming.

"You were looking for the cop on this patrol tonight?" A young man approached the gathering.

"Why? Are you him," Mako took a good look at the cop.

The officer was young, his face unwrinkled by time. There was brightness in his eyes you only saw in the newest crop of cops before their experiences on the streets had a chance to sully their youthful enthusiasm for law enforcement.

"Yes sir. My name is Cheng Zan."

"What can you tell me about this shop?" Mako asked.

"Well…" Zan scratched the back of his neck. "I've been on this beat for about two months, and everyone knows this is Triple Threat Triad territory. I know that the shop was late on protection payment and a small group of gang guys has been roughing up the owner every day."

Mako wished they had known this fact earlier. Perhaps if they had known that the shop was in hot water, they could have done more to give him some  _actual_  protection while he searched his records. Well, any receipt of that custom knife being made was ash by now with no chance of recovery.

"I mean they probably just burned the place down since they didn't pay up right?" Zan shrugged. "Case closed there."

Korra clapped the young cop on the back hard enough that he winced. "If you want to be a beat cop for the rest of your career, keep thinking like that." She turned her attention back to Mako. "We need to talk."

Mako led Korra back to the car so they wouldn't be overheard. The Red Killer connection to the shop wasn't known, and he didn't plan on that changing. The threads joining the gang to the Red Killer seemed unavoidable now, and Mako couldn't say that he was pleased about it.

"We need to look into the Triple Threat Triad," Korra turned towards him, her face half illuminated by streetlight. "And I'm not stupid, I know it makes you uncomfortable. I need to know why, because if I'm working with a dirty cop I'm going to cuff you and drag you back to central right here and now."

He gritted his teeth. "Oh, you want to know?" Anger bubbled into his voice. "Because I'm not a dirty cop. Never have been, never will."

"Then what the fuck is your hang up with this gang?"

He clenched his fists in his lap. His connection with the Triple Threats wasn't exactly something he was proud of. In fact, it was something that he tried to bury within him as deeply as he possibly could. Experiences aren't something that you can just shed off with time; they stay and mark everything that occurs after. And those marks don't fade no matter how hard you try to burn it away.

Mako wrenched his left sleeve up over the elbow. "This is why I don't want to fucking touch the Triple Threats."

What remained of a Triple Threat Triad membership tattoo was seared onto the inside of his right arm. The black inked triangle with a "T" in the center was obscured by mottled flesh, twisted and burned on the surface.

"You know that Bolin and I lost our parents at a young age…" he could see the shock in her eyes. "We had no one to take us in, so we lived on the streets. And once we got sick of starving, I joined the Triple Threats, and Bolin ran side jobs off the record. Then…we got older and we got real jobs. But I think you know that quitting a gang isn't really easy. So I tried to burn the mark off the best I could so I could get out."

"Hey, look at me," Korra put a hand on his shoulder. "It's in the past."

"I've avoided the damn Triple Threats the best I could…but they always say 'once a Triple Threat always a Triple Threat,' and I guess that's true for me too."

Her open hand slapped him across the face with a resounding smack.

"What the fuck was that for?"

"You need to stop feeling sorry for yourself," she pulled him by the shirt so he had no choice but to look at her. Their faces were inches apart, just as they had been during encounter in the alley earlier in the evening. "Get your mind back in gear. We need to figure out our next move."

Suddenly, she seemed to notice the closeness just as he had. Her lips parted for a slight second before she shoved him back into his seat.

"Do you always have to be so rough?" He winced with a smile.

"Oh you know…it's how I do things," she winked.

Korra was right. He was letting his personal issues get in the way of their investigation. Avoiding his history wasn't helping him in anyway. Confrontation in his personal life was never something her particularly excelled at or enjoyed. Most of the time he got by well enough by avoiding the problem and letting it fade away with time. Clearly though, that wasn't the best method to get better.

"I think we need to talk to the Triple Threats."

"Okay, whoa," she sat back in her seat. "I wasn't expecting you to be  _that_  direct."

"I know a place down by the waterfront."

"Well then lead the way, City Boy."

.

.

"It always seemed so peaceful here at night," Korra stuffed her hands in her pockets as they walked along the waterfront.

The area was made up of mostly warehouses for shipping companies, with a few industrial operations here and there. The inactivity of the night translated to an eerie silence that was unsettling and off putting.

"You think so?"

"Yeah," she shrugged. "You never get real quiet here in the city. This comes pretty close I think. I'm not a city native like you."

"So it's quieter then? Down south I mean."

A genuine smile spread over her face. "It's nice. You can hear all your thoughts without a Satomobile horn butting in."

He laughted in understanding, "The den is just around the corner."

The waterfront hideout wasn't the main headquarters by any stretch of the imagination. It was mostly a small operations den that handled illegal smuggling operations. But due to the location, many of the higher-ups frequented the hideout when they weren't drinking away at one of the many Triple Threat bars.

Mako led her into the short alleyway. A metal door stood at the end.

"Just stay behind me okay?" He pulled his collar up. "If things get bad…"

"Then I stick by you." She nodded in reaction to the expression of shock on his face. "Well it wouldn't be the worst decision I've made today."

He froze, only imagining what she could be referring too. Did she regret that kiss they shared? Wait, that wasn't what he needed to be worried about.

"We're just here to take the temperature of the situation," Mako raised his hand to knock on the door.

"Fine by me."

His knuckles rapped heavily on the thick door.

With a screech, a slit at eye level slid to the side to reveal a face half shrouded in shadows.

"Well lookie who it is." The voice came from inside. "Go grab Viper, he's going to want to see this." The eye slit slammed shut.

"Viper?" Korra checked her shoulder-holstered gun.

"He's the second in command of the Triple Threats."

Back when Mako joined, Viper was just a normal street thug. But through operations and his penchant for making big narcotic sales, he slowly crawled his way up the pathetic ladder.

The door opened outward so quickly that Mako and Korra flinched and instinctively reached for their guns.

"Well…you weren't lying," Viper strode out.

His dark gray coat blended into his tanned skin in the dark, his face mostly shadowed by the wide-brim fedora he wore. A gold chain and charm shone even in the lack of light. Two Triple Threat guards flanked him.

"Viper," Mako held his ground.

"You know, you usually don't come down here to get…a bit of extra cash," the Triple Threat grinned. "But I wouldn't mind having a homicide detective on my take. Would probably prove real helpful now that I think about it."

"That's not why I'm here," Mako snarled.

"Really? I can't imagine why else you'd come crawling back," Viper took a few steps forward. "Oh, and you brought a friend too. Vice Detective Korra, we haven't met."

"Didn't know you knew my name," Korra pulled a cigarette out cockily. "Guess my reputation precedes me."

"You'd bet it does," Viper gritted his teeth. "Now what's stopping me from shooting you two full of holes."

Mako pulled his hand out of his pockets in a showing of goodwill. "You know what we're here about."

"Hmmm…" a sinister grin spread over the gangster's face. "Really can't say I do. I'm not exactly privy to police knowledge or anything like that."

"He knows. I just know it," Mako said through his teeth, just loud enough so Korra could hear.

"Mako," her hand grabbed his shoulder. "Do you really think he would give anything up?"

He kept his eyes trained on Viper. "No. You're right. Let's get out of here."

"Leave so soon then?" Viper shrugged. "Don't forget son, you're always a Triple Threat. You know where to find us if you need something. And we know where to find you. Don't forget that."

Korra pulled him back by the sleeve, and the two backed out of the alley and turned the corner before turning their backs.

"Why did we even do that?" Mako clenched his fists and violently kicked at a can as they walked back to the car.

The whole incident left him absolutely furious. They had wasted their time to come all the way out here in the dark, for nothing but a meaningless confrontation. Anger crawled through his veins and prickled over his skin; he was itching for action, for a release from it all.

"We went because you needed it," Korra spoke, momentarily diffusing the haze of rage clouding his vision. "You never really confronted that part of your past before, and it needed to be done. Now take a deep breath and control yourself."

Mako huffed before taking her advice grudgingly. "I hate it when you're right."

"Sorry you've got such a big ego to bruise," she ribbed him gently with an elbow. "This wasn't completely pointless though. You're right, that Viper dirt bag knows something."

"I dunno," he rubbed the back of his neck restlessly. "I think we pretty much made only bad decisions tonight."

"I can think of one that didn't go so badly."

"Oh really?" He searched her eyes for what she meant.

"Yeah, this one I'm about to make," she grinned. "Let's get a drink and call it a day. I know a good bar—"

"Let's just go back to my place. I've got plenty of booze."

.

.

Eventually the pair lost count of how many shots of the cheap whiskey they each had. A few overturned shot glasses littered the low coffee table as they lounged on the living room couch. Bolin was evidently out for the evening, probably out with another doll he barely knew.

But who was Mako to judge his brother, especially tonight. Most of the time when Mako drank, he just savored the taste and sipped at the glass in front of him to keep engaged with the social happenings around him. Tonight however, he wanted to be drunk. He wanted to feel all the pain dry up. He wanted to feel the happy numbness take over his limbs and fog his mind so he couldn't think straight even if he wanted to.

Alcohol was a poor escape, but aside from good company, it was all he had in the present. They had dropped their shoes, jackets, and hats at the door, and went straight to shots of the bitter liquid. At some point Korra flicked on the radio letting the sweet hum of jazz ballads filled the room. They laughed for no reason, content to enjoy the evening.

The booze loosened his collar and his tongue. "So, that 'distraction' you did tonight. You kissed me."

Korra laughed and poured them each another shot. "One more s-s-s-shot."

Each kicked back the glass and swallowed.

"You didn't a-a-answer the question," he laughed as he slammed the small glass back down to the table.

"Y-y-yeah, and you kissed me back and I know I'm a real good kisser anyway."

"Oh really?" All the warning signs that should have been blaring in his head were turned off by his drunkenness. "Prove it," he tried to sound as sober as possible.

"Fine!"

She clumsily grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him into a sloppy kiss. In his inebriated state, he lacked all balance and coordination, and he slumped over on top of her on the couch. Before he knew what he was doing, his fingers were clumsily undoing the buttons on her dark blue button-down and his hands slipped inside to feel her soft skin against his…he didn't think that she would be so soft.

Korra let out a moan when his hands finally slid up to cup her breasts. Her fingers tangled in his hair and pulled him to her, their tongues sloppily colliding. He kissed down her neck as deftly as possible until he reached her collarbone.

"Hey Mako I'm home I—"

Bolin's voice barely registered in his head.

"What the fuck are you two doing?" Bolin dropped the bag of groceries to the floor.

"I-I-I uhh," Mako planted a foot on the floor and rolled off to the ground. His head smacked on the edge off the coffee table, and tipped over the thankfully closed, quarter-filled bottle of whiskey.

"You're dating Asami!"

"I dun even know if-f-f-f we're exclusive or anythin'."

Bolin rolled his eyes and stepped over Mako on the ground. The boxer buttoned up Korra's shirt before helping her to her feet.

"B-Bathroom," she croaked.

Bolin released his hold and let her stumble into the bathroom. The sound of throwing up echoed out of the small room.

"Holy shit, you two can barely stand. Holy fuck Mako, you two are so drunk you barely know what you're doing. Even if you weren't with Asami, you can do this with your partner, you'll get reassigned, or worse…"

"I-I—"

"Just shut up," his brother crossed his arms. "Sleep on the floor tonight for all I care. I'm going to get Korra home."

Mako let his head loll back against the hard floor. The next thing he saw was black.

.

.

 **Author Note:**  It's safe to say that this is a rough halfway point chapter wise for this fic. But that's not set in stone either as some chapters, (like this one was originally two chapters), are being consolidated as I work from my outline. Thank you for reading and I'd love to hear your thoughts.


	11. Let's Call the Whole Thing Off

**Rating:**  M (language, violence, sex)

 **Chapter Word Count:**  ~3200

 **Summary:**  Mako is already a well-experienced homicide detective in Republic City when Beifong reluctantly assigns him to take over the case of the "Red Killer," the serial murderer that likely was responsible for the death of his parents. Little does he know that the Beifong's reassignment of Vice Detective Korra as his new partner will change things in ways he never anticipated. Noir AU

 **Author Note:**  Thanks for waiting. The confluence of midterms, spring break, and getting to see my boyfriend was sufficiently distracting.

.

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**Chapter 11 – "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off"**

" _But oh, if we call the whole thing off_

_Then we must part_

_And oh, if we ever part, then that might break my heart"_

.

"We need to talk."

In Mako's experience, nothing good ever came from conversations that started with those four words.

There was that time that he pulled Bolin aside with those same words when he started buying up and using drugs from his Triple Threat "friends," and was becoming a teenager with needle marks up and down his arms and an overly pale complexion. Viper used the same four words on him when he fucked up running muscle when they were extorting a business. That screw up earned him a knee to the liver as he slumped to the ground in excruciating pain that took weeks to dull. Of course he'd never forget the "we need to talk" conversation from the pair of cops that knocked on his family's apartment door after the death of his parents.

So it was safe to say he had a reason or three to be apprehensive. He stared down into the mug of black coffee in front of him; suddenly enamored by the deepness of the color over the surrounding quiet neighborhood café he met Korra at. The only matter on the agenda was of course just a much-needed afternoon chat on the topic of the previous evening's transgressions.

Around noon, when they had both come around from sleep with severe hangovers, they thought that this Sunday was a good day to take off and rest of the case to recharge. By mutual agreement, they decided to meet in order to take care of what happened between them before Monday.

"So…" Korra broke the silence between them. She took a small sip of her cooling coffee.

"Yeah…"

He just didn't know how to start. He couldn't count the number of one-night stand he had over the years, but he only had one relationship that was remotely serious. Oh Lei…she was nice enough, but she had a body to die for from her pretty face, to her slim hips, and her fucking gorgeous ass. Come to think of it, there hadn't been connections outside the physical kind between them. It was exactly what he needed in that time and she satisfied him immensely.

But what did he want now? Was "physical" enough with Asami? And where did Korra fit into this whole picture?

"Well we can't dodge this the whole time," Korra placed her mug back on the small table and folded her hands in front of her. "We almost went past where we should have. And that was a mistake."

"Agreed," Mako nodded. "We were way too drunk last night."

"You'll have to thank Bolin for me then," a small smile graced her lips. "Both for stopping us and getting me home."

"Yeah, well I didn't raise him to be a good for nothing."

They shared a brief laugh. He was just so utterly relieved that this meeting was going well. Countless scenarios had run though this head, each one more awkward than the last. Korra was his partner, and that's all he needed her to be. Together, they needed to work and catch the Red Killer before he could do more damage that he already had.

Yet, he couldn't shake the "rightness" he felt in the time he spent with Korra. The kiss they shared, although brief, made him feel alive in a way that he only thought happened in novels and radio dramas. But he had to shake this feeling off. There were fraternization rules that they needed to adhere to.

"You'll tell Asami what happened, right?" Korra stirred her coffee. "I feel pretty bad about that part…"

Mako felt his body tense, and he took a deep breath. "Yeah, I'm going to have to. You know, I was being serious last night when I said that I really didn't know where I am with my relationship with her."

She nodded in understanding, "Yeah I've been there."

"Oh really?"

"Yep. There was this one guy back home who was interested in more than I was up to give. I didn't find out we had different ideas of where we were going until he was on one knee with a ring."

He couldn't help but to laugh along with her.

"I'll tell her," Mako looked her in the eye. "I'll do it tonight."

Korra let loose a sigh of relief. "We really don't want that hanging over our heads."

She was right. He hated when she was right. The last thing he needed was a lie like this eclipsing the more important matters in his life. In a way, it was no different than completing a case; loose ends didn't help anyone with anything.

"Well…that's it isn't it?" he sat back in his chair.

"I guess that wasn't so bad then."

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

"You got it, City Boy."

.

.

If the rest of his week went as smoothly as his day already had, they would have the Red Killer in cuffs by the end of Tuesday. But of course, knowing that life rarely goes so well for too long, Mako was content to ride the wave of luck as far as it would take him.

It reminded of him when Bolin still thought people won in gambling. Mako never minded hitting up a joint to play a round or two of craps, but he never bet more than he was okay to lose (which was never more than twenty yuans or so). When started winning, and was primed to walk away with more than he brought in, he did so gladly and got an extra drink at the bar on his way out. And when he lost, he never went over the allotted spending money he allowed himself, and left knowing he got to blow off a bit of steam with each roll of the dice.

Bolin, on the other hand, seemed to have a hole burned through his wallet. Once he started winning, an incontrollable sense of invincibility would overtake him until he gambled away every single last cent. Luckily though, his younger brother learned a bit of control when the boxer managed to bet away over two months of his share of the rent. Mako refused to pay the full share, and Bolin had to take up open shifts at the power plant shoveling coal to make up for the lost cash. It was a mistake he never made again.

Part of him thought there was no way in hell that the dinner date he setup with Asami would go as smoothly as the morning conversation with Korra went. No amount of charm could overtake almost cheating, well, at least where most women were concerned. He remembered some of the "girlfriends" of some of the Triple Threat members were cheated on time and time again, yet still dragged themselves back for another helping of the same. Mako understood it though. At some point, the devil you know is better than the devil you don't. And he spent most of his life staying away from the devil in the shadows he wasn't familiar with.

Mako had arranged to meet Asami at a small neighborhood joint. The restaurant was homey and served up big portions of cuisine at a cheap price. Perfect for a guy on a tier one detective's salary.

The date was set for seven, but yet he found himself at a table for thirty minutes early. He nervously bounced his leg up and down under the small table and downed the gin and tonic he ordered at record speed. Mako never found alcohol to be the "liquid courage" Bolin claimed it to be. But with the upcoming conversation looming, he decided to take no chances and give his brother's belief another try.

"You're early."

He flinched slightly in surprise as Asami placed a kiss on his cheek and slid into the empty seat opposite of him.

"I could say the same to you," he tried to flirt and ignore the nervous churning of his stomach.

"Well, I see you've already gotten started," she winked, eyeing his empty glass.

"Just passing time," Mako said a bit too quickly.

"Fair enough," she expertly flagged a server down with a glance and a single finger.

The waiter quickly brought them a pair of paper menus and took Asami's order for a glass of red wine. They looked over the selection of food in silence, and ordered when the waiter came by with Asami's drink.

Mako wrestled with what to do next. Should he tell her now? Up front so she could leave if she decided to hate him and never date him again?

"We need to talk," Asami's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

His heart shot into his throat at the sound of those four words. Did she know? Did Bolin run his mouth and say something about it?

"I uhh, sure," he managed a smile.

"It's about Future Industries."

His shoulders noticeably relaxed as the anxiety ebbed from his body. "What's going on?"

She swirled her glass, "I don't even know why I'm coming to you for this, but I hoped you could help."

He waited for her to continue.

"Remember the whole 'Future Industries is a drug front' fiasco?"

Mako sighed, thinking of Korra's involvement with the matter. "How could I forget?"

"Well I need help," Asami took a look around the restaurant. "I think the Triple Threats are still tangled up in Future Industries. I was hoping that you and Korra could take a look into for me, off the record."

"I'd have to talk it over with Korra…the Red Killer is taking up all our time."

"Oh…right…" she looked utterly crestfallen.

He hated to disappoint people. He hated not reaching expectations set for him. Usually if Mako could avoid doing that he at least wasn't failing by any measure in his own eyes.

"Hey, why don't Korra and I drop by your office tomorrow and we can talk it out, the three of us."

Immediately her face brightened up. "That would be great!"

The rest of the dinner went smoothly. It was an average date in the end. They idly chatted about the newest movies to grace the theaters and the weather. A bit of politics for the upcoming election of course couldn't be avoided. Yet, the unspoken truth he had promised to Korra that he would tell still weighed down on him and kept his jaw locked tight whenever he thought to say it. He vehemently refused her offer to pay for even her share of dinner as guilt weighed down on him.

"Do you have any plans tonight?" Asami leaned into them as they walked out of the restaurant.

"Yeah uh I'm kind of busy…"

"Alright then," she pulled him down into a kiss. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

In what seemed like slow motion, he watched her turn away. He couldn't take it anymore. The pressure inside him had built to a tipping point. Mako felt as if he was bursting at the seams.

"Wait." He reached out and grabbed her gently on the arm.

She turned into his grasp, confusion evident on her face.

"I need to tell you that last night after I got off work I got really drunk with Korra and we kissed and we almost slept together and I'm really sorry…" the words spilled out of his mouth.

"Oh…" Asami seemed to process his words carefully.

"Look," he wanted to be as earnest as possible. "I don't know if we've agreed to see only each other…but I think I'd like to. I mean…if you can forgive me."

"I guess we really didn't talk much between dates and heading back to my place, did we?" A small smile appeared on her lips, a knowing glint in her eye.

"No…no we didn't…"

"We can make this work," she pulled him in for a sweet kiss.

"Wait…" he couldn't help but be confused. "Y-You mean you aren't angry with me? You aren't going to break up with me and never want to see me again?"

"You were drunk. We weren't really 'dating,' and it seems like a one off thing. Not to mention that I really like you. You don't have any feelings for her, do you?"

"No I don't think so," Mako smiled confidently to try to solidify his words into a full feeling.

If he had been truly honest to himself, he would have to say that he wasn't sure.

.

.

"Judging by that grin I'm guessing it went well," Korra looked up from her newspaper, her feet propped up on the table.

"Mmmhmmm!" He dropped into the chair opposite of her. "Couldn't have asked for any better actually!"

"Great." Her voice was flat and emotionless.

"Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine, except for the fact that we still have a serial killer to catch."

Mako couldn't get an accurate read on her. Obviously she was unsettled in some fashion, but he had no clue as to the cause. Guessing, and guessing wrong, would probably only upset her further, which he of course wanted to avoid.

"Well, grab your coat and hat," he stood up. "We have a meeting with Asami at Future Industries."

" _We_  do, eh?" Korra quirked an eyebrow at him questioningly and made no move to leave her seat.

"Yes we do. It's about police work, your favorite."

She huffed dramatically and pulled her trench coat on. "Let's get going then."

Mako made a mental note as they walked down the hall together that she was most certainly in a bad mood. The last thing he wanted to do was draw her ire, but he did enjoy that she wasn't keen on bringing up their drunken evening. He already knew that Korra was going to say no to helping Future Industries on the side, but he at least had to humor Asami if she wasn't willing to go through the inefficient official channels.

"Hey you," Tahno leaned out the door to the Vice Department. He tossed a familiar gray hat into Korra's hands. "You forgot this."

She definitely didn't have the hat when they left the conference room.

"I uhh…thanks," Korra quickly placed the fedora on her head and walked on.

Mako looked over his shoulder as they left, only to receive a smirk and a wink from Tahno.

"What was that about?" Mako pressed as they pulled out of the station's parking lot.

"It was nothing," she spoke too quickly to be telling the truth. "I just forgot my hat."

"You forgot your hat…with Tahno…"

"Yeah. I don't see how that's so impossible."

He remembered that Korra had mentioned that Tahno had "uses," and admittedly now his mind was wandering further to what those uses were. Accidentally leaving an article of clothing after an…encounter wasn't out of the question. But fuck, Korra seemed to hate Tahno, so that couldn't possibly be right.

"It's none of your business," Korra finally spoke again as they exited his car at the roundabout of the Future Industries building.

Mako chose not to press her as they took the elevator up to Asami's floor. Silently, he hoped that this meeting was going to be as cordial and easy as he had in his mind. The real issue at hand, as usual for this case, was the Triple Threat Triads. The gang was becoming the dominant faction in the underworld, throwing its weight around and extending its grasp. If the Triple Threats really could survive the investigation spearheaded by Korra, then they were really more powerful than anyone thought.

Well, that was at least if Korra really pressed the case to its fullest and wasn't on the take. That couldn't be possible, right? Unfortunately, if there was anything he learned living in Republic City, it was that trustful and honest people were scarce.

The doors to the elevator opened, and Asami's personal assistant ushered them quickly into the office, all the while reminding them that the CEO of Future Industries was perpetually busy.

The meeting went as expected. Korra agreed with him, and declined the off-the-record work. Her mood fouled when she realized that he had dragged her all the way across the city to say no to a question all three of them already knew the answer to. Asami of course understood, and thanked Korra politely. Mako could have sworn there was an air of coldness in the businesswoman's dealings with his partner.

"Look I'm sorry," Mako followed Korra down the stairwell, too impatient to wait for the elevator.

"Waste of valuable time, thanks a lot," she spat. "Just because she's your girlfriend, doesn't mean you get to pull me into this."

"Fuck…Korra…"

"Going to take a leak," she pushed out of the stairwell on to the main floor area, filled will offices. "Just wait here until I get back."

Mako had no choice but to sigh and let her go. There was no stopping Korra. Fuck, he should have just said no to Asami when she asked him during the date. But the last thing he wanted to do at the time was to pile on more bad news to the already undesirable news he had to deliver. Maybe he could convince Korra that looking into Future Industries would be beneficial…if the Triple Threat Triads were involved, that was enough of a connection. Right?

He already got the feeling that Asami was beginning to feel more negatively towards Korra than she already did.

Korra tapped him on the shoulder, appearing suddenly and slightly breathless from her quick bathroom trip.

"What's got you breathing heavy?" He asked, mindful of the volume of his voice around the cubicles of Future Industries workers.

She pulled him by the scarf into the stairwell, which she checked up and down before going up on her tiptoes to whisper into his ear. "I think we need to talk to Asami again."

"Why?"

"I overheard a conversation on the way through…I think Asami is right about the Triple Threats still being around. And I heard them mention 'The Killer.' I think we've got our connection."

.

.

 **Author Note:**  Thank you all for waiting. Comments, reviews, and shares are appreciated as always.


	12. What a Difference a Day Makes

**Rating:**  M (language, violence, sex)

**Chapter Word Count:**  ~2900

**Summary:**  Mako is already a well-experienced homicide detective in Republic City when Beifong reluctantly assigns him to take over the case of the "Red Killer," the serial murderer that likely was responsible for the death of his parents. Little does he know that the Beifong's reassignment of Vice Detective Korra as his new partner will change things in ways he never anticipated. Noir AU

.

.

**Chapter 12 – "What a Difference a Day Makes"**

" _What a difference a day makes_  
There's a rainbow before me  
Skies above can't be stormy  
Since that moment of bliss, that thrilling kiss"

.

"And you're sure that's what you heard," Chief Beifong sat stone-faced on the other side of her desk.

For a woman of her position, her office was small with spartan accommodations. She downsized as a clear departure from the opulence preferred by the more corrupt Republic City Police Chiefs that came before her. Apparently she checked her office by hand every morning for bugs; the small amount of furniture and features of the room certainly helped her in that endeavor.

"Absolutely, one hundred percent positive!" Korra paced. "The guy in the conference room was talking about not moving product when they got the signal from 'The Killer' to keep the heat off everyone."

The overheard conversation was becoming a huge break. They already were very sure of the Red Killer's connection to the Triple Threat Triads. But add in the Future Industries ties to the gang and possibly their serial killer…well it was the lead they needed. They had the makings of a royal flush in their hands; all they needed was to pick up the remaining cards and keep a tight poker face until they had the guy behind bars.

"I'm glad you two are keeping me in the loop, but why are you telling me? You know what to do next," Beifong crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair.

Mako exchanged a quick glance with this partner before speaking up. "We really want to lean on Future Industries."

Beifong frowned, and Mako felt his body tense. "If you actually have Asami Sato's permission and blessing, then you don't need a warrant or anything like that. Which is better, as I think you know. Word won't get out if you're discreet as you should be."

"We're aware," he nodded. "Just thought it would be best to keep you informed since this case is so high profile—"

"I'm aware," Beifong exhaled. "I'm  _very_  aware." She leaned forward, "I trust that you two are putting your full efforts towards this case, correct?"

"Of course," Korra assured their boss.

"Close the blinds," the chief cocked her head towards the windows that looked over the office areas of the top ranked police.

Korra quickly complied, pulling one of the strings swiftly so the slats on the thin metal blinds shifted shut.

"I think the two of you are familiar with Councilman Tarrlok?"

"He's pretty hard to miss," Korra slid back into her seat.

Beifong took a deep breath, "As just about everyone knows, he's got ambitions of becoming Mayor. His "Safe City" campaign is placing immense pressure on the department to either catch the Red Killer, or sweep him under the rug."

"Ignoring the Red Killer isn't going to make him go away," Mako interjected.

"Yes, well if he had any brains, he wouldn't be a politician," Beifong shook her head in disgust. "Politics is about perception. And considering that his "Safe City" campaign has done a shit amount of good, he needs all the positive press he can to keep his 'hard on crime' image going."

"So we keep this quiet and just keep doing our job, right?" Korra shrugged, seeing the answer as obvious.

"You two need to be careful."

Although Lin Beifong was known as a blunt, no-nonsense woman, she was still a bit of a politician herself. She understood how all the pieces of the corrupt system of cronyism fit together in Republic City. After all, if she didn't, there was no chance she would have been able to climb the ranks of the Republic City Police Department so successfully.

"Tarrlok and Vice Chief Saikhan have been spending quite a bit of time together," Beifong continued. "I suspect that he will be the new Chief of Police if Tarrlok is elected Mayor. In the end, I want you to forget about all the shit going on around us. Just solve the case."

"Here's the list we compiled on where we what to check for evidence of the Triads," Mako pulled out a carefully folded piece of paper and handed it across the desk.

Thoughtfully, the police chief examined the list. "Start with the warehouses. The factory locations have many more visitors and the like going through. Not to mention that supplies and parts don't sit for long. You're more likely to find evidence of a drug ring at the warehouses."

"We'll get right on that then," he took the list back and tucked it into his jacket.

"Then get out of my office."

"Yes Chief!" The partners said in unison, and headed back to their conference room.

Mako often wished that he could do his work in a vacuum. Solving crimes and catching killers would be considerably easier if the background noise could just fade away even to just a quiet hum. But circumstance always framed everything he did. He didn't have to think hard to come up with an example or two. His girlfriend, Asami…well things there would be a lot easier if they didn't have this case and the Korra incident complicating things.

"So which do you want to hit first?" Korra looked over her handwritten copy of the list.

"I think the chief is on to something with looking into warehouses with lower traffic…" he looked at the pins they had placed in their large Republic City map board. "I don't think we should go busting down the door of one of their huge operations…maybe start on the smaller side?"

"Sounds good. How about this warehouse on the waterfront? It's close enough to Triple Threat operation areas to be effective if they were dealing out of there."

"Lunch on the way?"

Korra smirked, "Wait.  _You_  are suggesting lunch?"

"Hey I get hungry too!"

"You're just full of surprises…" her smirk morphed into a soft smile.

"Just you wait," he winked, unable to resist the opportunity to banter back and forth with her. "I'm going to even offer to let you pick."

Playfully she moved her hand to his forehead. "You're feeling okay right?"

Her touch stirred something within him. Suddenly his stomach churned with butterflies as her hand lingered. "I-I'm fine. But I'm starving, so why don't we get going?"

Mako tried to shove the discomfort down. It wasn't something he was supposed to feel around his partner, especially when he was officially dating Asami. But somehow, he couldn't force himself to stop feeling and move on mentally to the next task that needed attention. He could beat this. He just needed to take it one day at a time. A single day can make a big difference.

"Fair enough, Cool Guy!"

.

.

"You sure this is the place?" Korra looked closely at the map she pulled from his glove box. "It's not marked."

"Because every company, especially those who probably are dealing drugs mark all their shady warehouses with big signs," Mako pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"Jeez calm down, I'm just being careful."

"You? Careful?" He tried to lighten the mood.

"Well one of us has to. Can't afford a mistake here."

Careful. Avoiding risks. Thinking before acting. All of these were behaviors that Mako would consider firmly in his repertoire. But ever since this case begun, he had jumped into things more than he had ever before. Dating Asami, almost sleeping with Korra, and making his relationship with Asami official were just three instances. His cool head was not prevailing over his blazing heart.

"Well it's after lunch, we can find out pretty easy by asking someone working," Korra stashed the map away and exited the Satomobile.

Korra's confusion and doubt was highly forgivable. The warehouse in front of them was as unassuming as any of the others in the industrial district. Trucks dominated the streets; the sound of trains filled his ears as surrounding warehouses loaded their stock in the train yard to move products out of the city. The area in front of the building was mostly empty. A few people here or there dressed in heavy cloth overalls moved boxes around on to waiting trucks.

He easily noticed the half-gear logo of Future Industries on some of the worker's clothing. They were in the right place.

"Let's just head in and only stop if someone asks," Korra popped her collar up. "You got the letter?"

Asami had provided them with a letter of permission typed on her personal CEO stationary. It assured any Future Industries employee that he and Korra were allowed to look around buildings and company property as they pleased. It even gave a special extension number to call at headquarters should someone question the legitimacy of the document.

Mako patted his jacket. "I've got it right here," he lowered the brim of his hat.

"Then let's get going."

The two acted as if they had every right to be there, and walked straight in through the warehouse door. Although this was one of Future Industries "smaller" facilities, there was still far too much for them to every search with just the two of them. They would need a whole few squads of police and dogs to check this place from floor to ceiling. That wasn't exactly a luxury they had when Beifong was urging them to keep this aspect of the case in particular quiet.

Once again, he jumped into this without fully thinking it through. It was like some sort of vicious cycle, where past mistakes compounded and snowballed into the present and surely into the future.

"Hey! Who are you two?" A worker jogged up to them. "You can't just wander in here!"

Simultaneously, the two detectives pulled their badges.

"Republic City PD. We're here to take a look around," Korra eyed the man up and down. "And you name is?"

Mako watched the worker's breath quicken and his stance tighten. The man was nervous, that much was plainly clear. A look of panic briefly passed over his face before he swallowed hard.

"D-Do you have a warrant?" He straightened up and seemed to pull himself together.

"Don't need one," Mako pulled out the document from Asami. "We've got permission from your CEO."

"I-I'm going to need to call my boss about this…"

"Go ahead," Korra shrugged. "You do that, but we're going to have a look around like we intended. You can't stop us. Go make your lousy phone call." She stepped forward and brushed past the worker, her shoulder purposefully jostling him as she passed.

The facility was what he expected on the inside. Not very well lit with a dirty floor that smelled like motor oil. The large wooden crates were stacked in an order unbeknownst to him, and divided by large aisles. Sturdy Future Industries trucks equipped with power lifts prowled through out the warehouse, moving boxes to and from waiting trucks.

"Well fuck," Mako took his had off to run a hand through his hair, "where the hell are we supposed to start?"

"Usually a sting like this is run by more than two people," Korra sighed. "And usually you know exactly what you're looking for too. We might as well just take a look around and look for anyone or anything suspicious."

He was glad to have Korra's experience with him at this point. This case was moving out of the strictly homicide realm, and sliding more into her area of vice expertise. She was right though about their lack of manpower, but it would be impossible to bring a score of officers here without attracting attention from the press. Especially with Beifong's job on the line, it was more important than ever to stay out of the papers.

The detectives walked slowly down one of the aisles with less traffic, lest they be in the way of one of the mover trucks. The boxes were tagged with yellow sheets of paper that contained multiple strings of numbers. But obviously the numbers were a code used by shipping for the company, and gave him nothing valuable to work with.

"Hey! You two!"

A group of five or six workers, lead by a suited man jogged towards them!

Korra raised a hand in a wave. "Hey Kale!" she yelled, grinning widely.

"I thought I said…" Kale Hibiki, the CFO of Future Industries fought to catch his breath as his belly heaving under his tailored suit. "…That it's Mr. Hibiki to you." He slicked his hair back into place and smoothed his moustache. "Who gave you permission to be here?"

"Your boss," Mako pulled the letter from his jacket and held it up in front of him. "I'm guessing that whole part of the message didn't reach you over the phone."

"Let me see that," the businessman pulled the letter towards him. He carefully examined the stationary and signature. "I don't care if Ms. Sato is fine with you being here. I will not have you interrupting our operations like this."

Korra crossed her arms in defiance, "I'm pretty sure we aren't interrupting anything here. Well at least nothing illegal."

Hibiki's features hardened into a frown, "Your accusation doesn't go unnoticed, Detective Korra. I do not know what possessed our CEO to allow you full access to all of our facilities, but I will not honor it until I hear directly from her. Now leave."

"Um yeah, we don't have to," she shrugged. "I'm just going to stand right here—"

"Korra," Mako placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let's go."

They exchanged a glance of understanding. Hibiki really didn't want them poking around, that much was clear. The detectives walked closely together as they cleared the building and exited through the gate that encircled the facility. In his mind, and surely Korra's, the CFO of Future Industries just jumped to the top of his suspicion list.

"We should probably report back to Asami on this," Korra kicked a stray stone as they walked.

Mako nodded, hands entrenched in his pockets. "We can give her a call once we get back to the station."

"Thanks for grounding me back there. I just hate Kale so much and I love getting under his skin…I probably would have gone too far."

"That's what partners are for."

They turned the corner on the street and Mako's Satomobile was in sight. A square of dark yellow on the dashboard caught his eye. He was almost certain that it was a manila envelope pinned beneath one of the windshield wipers. He increased his pace to a jog and ran ahead of Korra to confirm his suspicions.

Carefully, he pulled the envelope out and examined it in his hands. It was ordinary, aside from the red wax seal that held the paper closed. He ran his fingers over the textured seal that bore a dragon in flight. Mako took a quick glance around, hoping that somehow he could catch a glance of whoever left it for them.

"An envelope?" Korra caught up with him.

He nodded.

"Let's get in the car and head back to the station. We don't know if we're being watched here."

.

.

Mako's anticipation built until they reached their conference room and carefully opened the envelope to preserve the seal. Inside was a letter in typical typewriter font, and nothing was anomalous there.

" _YOU ARE ONLY SCRAPING THE SURFACE. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW THE REAL TRUTH I CAN HELP. 118_ _TH_ _AND 9_ _TH_ _PHONE BOOTH. 11:45 PM. BE THERE OR THERE WILL BE NO FURTHER CONTACT."_

The message was unsigned of course. But he and Korra couldn't pass up a potential lead this good. But the idea that this could also be a trap didn't elude their thoughts. They approached the phone booth slowly, hands readied on their shoulder holsters the entire way.

"Here's how we're going to do this," Korra's eyes scanned the mostly deserted street. "You'll answer the phone, and I'm going to watch your back. If I as much as touch your shoulder, you drop the phone and hit the ground. Got it?"

Mako nodded and checked is watch. One minute past the scheduled time. "Think our contact is going to be late—"

The ring of the phone cut off his statement.

He pulled the receiver to his ear. "Hello?"

"You want to know the truth?" The voice was low and disguised. It was no one he recognized.

"I guess it's stupid to ask who this is."

"You want to know the truth?" The voice repeated.

"Yes," he made quick eye contact with Korra, and nodded to indicate that all was okay.

"Future Industries is still involved with the Triple Threat Triads drug wing. You take down the drug wing, and I will help you find the Red Killer. Behind the dumpster on your right is another envelope. It contains forged shipping manifests that should let you expose what needs to be exposed. I will contact you if you succeed."

The line went dead.

.

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**Author Note:**  Thank you again for waiting.


	13. You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To

**Rating:**  M (language, violence, sex)

 **Chapter Word Count:**  ~3100

 **Summary:**  Mako is already a well-experienced homicide detective in Republic City when Beifong reluctantly assigns him to take over the case of the "Red Killer," the serial murderer that likely was responsible for the death of his parents. Little does he know that the Beifong's reassignment of Vice Detective Korra as his new partner will change things in ways he never anticipated. Noir AU

.

.

**Chapter 13 – "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To"**

" _You'd be so nice to come home to_

_You'd be so nice by the fire_

_While the breeze on high sang a lullaby_

_You'd be all that I could desire"_

.

"This is nice," Asami leaned in and squeezed Mako's knee under the table of their corner booth. "I'm glad you had the time to have dinner with me tonight."

"I would have more often if this case wasn't taking all my time," he smiled earnestly. "But it's only been a week since…"

"…Our first date," she smiled back. "It's been a long week, hasn't it?"

No kidding. The case was ramping up in intensity. He and Korra spent all day combing through Sato Industries paperwork to look for any evidence of sneaky accounting that could tip them off to the still-active drug wing. Despite all the time, they came up empty and called it a day around six. Although Asami was on their side in this investigation, he knew that he couldn't and shouldn't tell her everything they were discovering. He of course had not mentioned their mystery caller.

"Yeah it has. I'll admit I never used to think it was possible to unwind on a Wednesday night."

"Glad I can prove you wrong," she winked, and returned her attention to the dessert they shared. "Are you spending the night tonight?"

Come to think of it, from strangers to going steady in a week was a new record with for him. They seemed to get swept up in this relationship so fast, he almost wasn't sure how it happened. Not that he was complaining. From what he could tell from their limited time together, Asami was smart, nice, and great company in a variety of situations. But he had to admit that they both seemed so willing to jump into this relationship.

"I don't know," Mako gulped down the last of his brandy. "It's been a really long day for me. I'm pretty exhausted…"

"That's okay," she rubbed her hand in his. "Maybe tonight I give you a massage and see if I can show you that you've got more energy than you think you have."

"Sure," he smiled as he thought he should, though truthfully he just wanted to go to sleep.

Asami hailed the waiter and moved to pay the bill and Mako swallowed his pride, knowing the meal she treated him to was far out of his price range. But she didn't mind, and she could correctly tell he wasn't using her for her wealth. At this point in his life, he was making and saving enough to feel financially safe going forward. Eventually after chasing promotions and raises he realized that all he really wanted was to be financially stable and able to weather a storm; he didn't need millions of yuans to do that.

But that didn't mean he didn't enjoy the perks Asami certainly had. As someone who lived much of his life pulling Bolin along as he pressed his nose to storefront windows to ogle over the newest must-haves of the season, the draw was certainly very understandable in the least.

She was fine to drive, and they pulled out onto the avenue to head back to her penthouse.

Yet Mako couldn't seem to keep his mind in the present. The Red Killer, and the sparse breadcrumbs he was leaving behind for he and Korra to clamor for consumed his thoughts.

"So, about the case…"

Asami sighed, "What is it?"

"Korra and I are following a lead that involves two employees of yours that said some pretty incriminating stuff in a conversation we heard," he could tell she didn't want to discuss this at the moment but he had to ask. "Could you help us identify them? We haven't had any luck on our own."

"Of course."

She deftly pulled the Satomobile into the private underground lot the two quickly stepped into the private elevator that propelled them up to the penthouse.

Mako felt his girlfriend's hands slid around his waist from behind. He allowed his eyes to close, exhaustion spreading throughout his entire being. All he wanted to do was collapse on something remotely soft, and sleep until he had to work. The way that Asami's fingers toyed with his belt painted that she was interested in something entirely different.

They had barely stepped inside and shed their coats to the rack when Asami pulled him into a fierce kiss. Half-heartedly, he kissed back, allowing her to steer him back to the master bedroom. Her hands flew to the buttons on his dress shirt and pushed the white fabric over his muscled shoulders. He sat back on the bed as Asami began to strip off her dress provocatively.

"Asami…" Mako rubbed his face wearily. "I-I'm just too tired."

He felt her place a kiss gingerly on his forehead. "That's okay," she crawled in bed behind him and pulled him under the covers.

"This case is taking a lot out of me."

"You work to hard," Asami rubbed his bicep soothingly. "Maybe take a week off? We could go somewhere nice together."

"Too much effort."

There was always so much paperwork and extra time to consider when applying for a vacation. Things would taper off once he and Korra cracked the case, and he would get a sort of on-the-job break.

"Sweetie, you need something other than your cop work."

"I am the job."

He rolled to the side and let sleep take him.

.

.

"So…she said she'd help?" Korra lit her cigarette with the lighter in his Satomobile, and blew the smoke out the half-rolled down window.

"Of course she said yes," Mako drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "I mean, she asked us to help her in the first place. I'd really hope that she would want to lend us a hand."

"Did you…tell her about our mysterious caller?"

He coughed and rolled down his window, fanning some of the clouded air with his hand. The smoke from Korra's cigarette was taking over the air space in the car. "Can you wait until we get there to smoke?"

"Sorry," she smiled sheepishly and tossed the remaining length of her cigarette out the window. "Answer the question maybe?"

"No I didn't," he shook his head. "She's not an insider on this case."

"Even if she's fucking you?" Korra grinned.

Mako wasn't exactly sure where Korra now stood on his relationship with Asami. On one hand, she seemed even more eager than usual to push his buttons and see how far she could push him. He would just mask his emotions in a blank expression and change the subject. He wasn't willing to play these sorts of adolescent games with her. Considering this, an easy superficial understanding would mean that she was fine with his girlfriend. But being a detective meant he knew that things are often not as they seem.

He chose to move the conversation in a more productive direction. "Asami said over the phone this morning that the floor you stumbled on to on our last visit houses the logistics division."

"Makes sense if they're moving drugs around."

"It gets even better. Guess who personally oversees that division?"

"It wouldn't happen to be our good old pal Kale Hibiki, would it?"

"Bingo."

The two were accustomed to the routine of entering the Future Industries headquarters by now. The main guard recognized them before they could pull their badges and waved them to the bank of elevators that would allow them to access Asami's office on the top floor. But they still received strange looks; no one was privy to why they were there. Cops usually weren't usually welcomed with open arms.

"What are we going to do if we find these guys?" Mako fixed his hair in the reflective walls of the elevator, earning an eye roll from Korra. "We don't have enough for an arrest."

"Trail them," Korra shrugged. "We just follow them until we figure something out that we can nab them on."

The elevator chimed, announcing their arrival at the top floor. The detectives were quickly ushered into Asami's office, all the while being reminded that the CEO of Future Industries was perpetual busy and that they were lucky to even be fit it on her calendar as a non-business matter.

"I've got a meeting in fifteen minutes with a potential new business partner from the South so we're going to have to make this as quick as we can," Asami stood up and led them back into the elevator. "Which floor were you on again?"

"Uhhh…" Korra thought for a moment. "Had to be the eleventh."

"That's logistics," the CEO hit the correct floor button. "Was it outside an office or a common space or something?"

"Office."

Mako breathed a sigh of relief. At least with an office they might be able to pin down at least one of the parties they were interested in. He needed this to move forward. He of course didn't completely trust their phone contact, but if there was anything he had learned about solving a complicated case, moving in any direction was better than staying stagnant.

When the elevator reached the eleventh floor, Korra led the way. They passed the staircase she had exited from the other day and walked down the row of offices until it reached the end. Korra turned right, then left around another corner before pointing to a large office.

"That's the one."

"No name plaque?" Mako remarked.

"This whole floor was recently renovated," Asami explained. "We're trying to move our products farther and in greater quantities than ever before, so we needed more space to house the employees needed to grow the division. Hence the meeting I have soon with this potential business partner."

A bit of shuffling came from inside the office, "What's going on out here?" A man about Mako's height peered out. "Oh, Ms. Sato! What can I do for you?"

"Umm…these are two business people from the South," she fibbed. They're looking to be our new shipping partners in that region."

"The name's Zan," he shook Mako and Korra's hands firmly. The man had a strong jaw and a broad-shouldered stature that looked muscular under his suit. "I work for warehouse logistics internally."

"Who do you report to here?" Korra spoke up.

"I'm a direct report of Mr. Hibiki."

"Well we need to be on our way…" Asami shooed the two back towards the elevator. "They're on a tight schedule but wanted to see the new office space. Thank you Zan!"

"Anytime Ms. Sato!"

The trio walked at an unsuspicious pace back to the elevator.

"One second," Korra darted into an unoccupied cubicle. "I'll meet you at the elevator."

Mako shrugged, and urged Asami forward. Korra caught up to them in a few short moments, and they took the elevator up towards Asami's office.

"Thanks Asami," Mako pulled her into a hug and kissed her cheek. This earned him an eye roll from Korra. "I think we're going to have to trail this guy tonight, so don't wait up for me."

"I think this Varrick guy is going to take most of my day anyway," Asami pulled him into a quick kiss, obviously unfazed by their audience of one. "Stay safe, will you?"

"Of course."

She exited the elevator on her floor, and Korra bashed the button to send them back to the lobby. Apart from a mumble of "get a room," the ride down was spent in awkward silence, all the way up until they reached Mako's car.

"So…" Mako took a deep breath when her door slammed shut, "I'm guessing we wait for this guy and follow him around tonight."

"Well he's gotta take the elevator down."

"What about the stairs?"

"They're out of order on his floor."

"What?" He turned towards her.

"I may have slapped a quick 'do not use' sign on the stairway door on the way out," she smirked.

That's why she ran into the cubicle. She must have grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled a quick sign.

"Not bad."

Korra grinned even wider, "I'll take that as a compliment, City Boy."

.

.

"I think we're going to have to tail this guy again tomorrow night," Korra rubbed her eyes wearily and stretched the best she could in the passenger seat. "This guy seems to just be enjoying a night on the town. At least we've got him at a Triple Threat bar."

Zan left the building around 5:30PM. They followed him back to this apartment complex before tailing him to a fancy restaurant. Eventually Zan left with two ladies on his arm, that he quickly carted off to a bar that had known associations with the Tripe Threat Triads. It was a good start, but they needed harder evidence if they wanted to bring him in for questioning to make further headway.

"Be patient," Mako folded his arms. "Let's at least see him back to his apartment. Then we can call it a night."

Her lips twisted into a pout. "Fine."

"Look," he pointed. "He's leaving now. Told you to be patient."

"That's usually not my style."

"Suit yourself."

"Where did the two girls go?" She leaned forward to get a better look.

Korra was right. The two women that had entered the bar on his arms were gone. Instead, a man in a black trench coat accompanied him back to his top-of-the-line blue Satomobile. The man kept his face covered as they both got in the vehicle.

"Maybe you were right!" She cracked her knuckles. "This could get exciting."

"Cool it," he put his Satomobile in gear and proceeded to follow them.

The lights of the city filtered in and out of the vehicle as they trailed the men across the city. Republic City was a town that never seemed to sleep; the streets of the downtown area still teemed with folks out enjoying the mild evening. Soon, the blue Satomobile turned northwest and started heading towards one of the bridges. They were crossing into the industrial warehouse district.

"Jackpot," Korra muttered.

Mako didn't want to get too optimistic over something that could turn out to me nothing. But he had to admit to himself that things were looking good. God, if they could nab this guy tonight they could let him stew in holding and interrogate him in the morning…

The Satomobile turned through an open gate, and came to a stop outside a small warehouse.

"We should do this on foot," Korra checked her weapon beneath her jacket.

He pulled over and turned off the lights before checking his own gun. "You want lead?"

She nodded.

As quickly and quietly as they could manage, they crossed the street and passed through the open gates. The men had slipped through a door next to the main loading dock that was left slightly ajar. Only a bit of light seeped out from within.

"On three," Korra mouthed and held up her fingers. "One…two…three…"

She expertly slipped through the door, her eyes scanning the small warehouse for danger. Her hand held steady inside her jacket on her shoulder holster. Mako could do no better than to follow her. It was quiet inside; there were no obvious signs that the Zan and the other man had come before them.

He caught the shuffling of feet and motioned to Korra with his head in the direction of the sound.

Korra nodded and moved quietly towards the back of the building, her frame following the walls as she went. "There," she whispered and pointed to an ajar floor panel. She kicked it to the side.

Mako peered down into the storage room below. He couldn't see much.

Swiftly, she jumped down the ladder and into the storeroom.

"Hey who are you?"

His heartbeat quickened and he jumped down after her. Korra threw a right hook at Zan, backing away from the quick few jabs he threw after her. She dropped low beneath his next hook and dove for his legs, successfully taking him down to the hard concrete floor.

"Zan?" The other man emerged from behind a crate, and crowbar in his hand. "Zan!" He raised the metal rod and bolted forward, eager to free his colleague from Korra's pummeling on the ground.

Mako didn't have time to think. He pulled out his pistol and fired a round smack into the man's thigh.

He cried out in pain, stumbling forward.

"Drop the crowbar or I shoot again," Mako narrowed his eyes.

The metal crowbar clattered to the floor. Korra already had Zan on his stomach; one hand pinned painfully on his back. She kicked the rod away and secured Zan's other hand beneath her knee before cuffing him. She pulled his sleeve up, revealing the Triple Threat Triad member tattoo on his harm.

"Well what do we have here?" She dug her knee into his back. "A Triple Treat huh?"

"A tattoo isn't enough to convict us," Zan spat. "Isn't that right, Detective Mako?"

"I can handle this," Mako kept his gun up. "I saw a phone just at the top of the ladder. Call it in."

She nodded and quickly scrambled up the ladder to call for backup.

"A tattoo might not be enough, but possession of this much cocaine is," he could hear Korra calling for a medical crew also. "You need to think about how many years of your young life you want to put on the line for Zolt. Because I'm a reasonable guy, and I'm always willing to make a trade. Think about that tonight in the Central Station lock-up."

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 **Author Note:** Thank you as usual for the wait. If there are errors, I apologize. I just finished the chapter and want it out to you ASAP.


	14. Tell Me More, And More, And Then Some

**Rating:**  M (language, violence, sex)

 **Chapter Word Count:**  ~3200

 **Summary:**  Mako is already a well-experienced homicide detective in Republic City when Beifong reluctantly assigns him to take over the case of the "Red Killer," the serial murderer that likely was responsible for the death of his parents. Little does he know that the Beifong's reassignment of Vice Detective Korra as his new partner will change things in ways he never anticipated. Noir AU

 **Author Note:**  Final exams, papers, and a performance jury delayed this chapter. Thank you all for waiting.

.

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**Chapter 14 – "Tell Me More, And More, And Then Some"**

" _The waiting's been so long so long_  
It's hard to be believing  
I thought I'd missed my guess"

.

"Our plan is to push them until they spill enough details to bust the drug wing," Korra crossed her arms. "Hopefully we can get our anonymous contact to spill whatever he knows…if he actually knows anything…"

"He's been right about Sato Industries so far," Mako pointed out.

"Korra is right not to be so trusting," Beifong sifted through the paperwork in front of her. "All you can do is work off of what you are sure you know. Anything else won't get you a conviction here."

"Do you care how we do this?" He turned to Beifong.

"What? The interrogations?" The chief handed Korra a file. "As long as you find out what you need to know, it's none of my business. But first, get a name on the second crook so we can pull the file I'm sure he has. Make them sweat."

Mako and Korra nodded, and took their leave back to their private conference room.

Interrogation was something Mako was familiar with. Being a homicide detective meant plenty of sessions with probable killers. One misstep by their perpetrator would give him the right evidence to be sure he got what he had coming. But this was a bit different. They knew the men were involved, but they needed to convince them to give up the guy above them to save their own asses.

With most groups of people, this wouldn't be too hard of a sell. To the average person, a couple years in prison loomed like a death sentence. But to a hardened Triple Threat Triad member, it was practically a badge of honor. The prison system was still so corrupt that the gangs still functioned in the prisons. Zan and his buddy would be protected there, and would come out and just enter back into their lives of crime.

"So Zan and his buddy, who hasn't opened his goddamn trap yet to tell us his name, have been stewing separately in holding all night," Korra opened Zan's file. "He's got a few priors, but nothing big. Assault, drunken disorderly, and breaking and entering…and looks like we can add his Triple Threat affiliation in here. He might be a new member, his file doesn't have anything on the Triple Threats."

"I've got an idea," Mako organized his thoughts. "We only need one of them to break. Why don't we offer whoever breaks protection so we can get this over with before we have to transfer them to central?"

"Fine by me. Something tells me that Zan is the weak link here, since his buddy hasn't said a single word."

He nodded in agreement. "Let's move our unnamed Triple Threat out past Zan so he knows what his partner in crime is in for."

Korra lips curled into a grin. Something told him she enjoyed this part of her job, and he was sure that she was good at it also. Interrogation was a tricky science. He had to push just enough to get the crook to break, but not too for as to make them recede into their mind or lash back. It was a balancing act that took time to perfect, but had no avenue for real practice.

The Triple Threats were notoriously good at keeping their mouths shut. Anyone that had been around long enough knew that Triple Threats that talked ended up dead. Most of the time the cause of death was logged as "accidental drowning," but everyone knew that when a guy with a membership tattoo washed up on the beach it was no accident.

On the way to holding, Mako pulled two of the homicide cops aside and ordered them to go through the files of known Triple Threat members looking for a headshot that matched their unidentified man. Having a backup plan was something he always valued, and it would be stupid to waste the resources of the Homicide Department that Beifong was placing at their disposal.

"Get up and stick your hands out," Korra ordered.

Quietly and with some reluctance, the gang member stood and deliberately placed his hands through the open slot in the bars. She roughly slapped a pair of cuffs on his wrists before unlocking the cell door. With a hand placed firmly on his back, she detoured him through the second block of holding cells, past a terrified looking Zan.

Mako shoved him into the interrogation room and sat down at the table. "Take a seat."

The man complied quickly, and Korra eyed him warily as she leaned up against the wall next to the door.

"Why don't we get started?" The detective leaned back in his chair, pulling on an air of supreme confidence. "Start by telling us your name."

The man's lips thinned into a tight line. His gaze was trained so intently on the table in front of him, Mako was sure that the man was determined to ignore him.

"Name?" Mako repeated.

"Don't make me pick one for you, fuck face," Korra barked.

"Calm down," he held up a hand. He couldn't be sure if this was what Korra was usually like in interrogations, or if she was trying to be purposely forceful to contrast his calm demeanor.

The Triple Treat didn't talk.

"I have all day," Mako folded his hands behind his head. "Our guys are going through our known Triple Threat Triad list. We'll find out who you are eventually, because something tells me that you've done this before.

Silence.

"You aren't dumb," he continued. "You know we have enough to convict you on drug possession, and I'm going to have the DA push for intention to distribute too. Shouldn't be hard since you're Triple Theat."

The man shrugged.

Mako leaned in, "Let's make this easy. You help us out a bit, and I'll put in a good word and have the DA just charge you with possession. You'll be back out on the streets causing trouble fast enough you won't lose any status."

Silence.

"We'll give you a few to think it over," Mako stood up and followed Korra. They snaked around the corner into the observation room.

"How long do you want to give it?" Korra crossed her arms.

"We need long enough that Zan thinks he's spilling his guts to us."

"Hour?"

He checked his watch. "Sounds good." He opened the door and motioned for two uniformed officers to take their place. "Coffee in the break room?"

Korra smirked, "Best thing you've said all day."

.

.

After an hour, Mako and Korra paraded the Triple Threat past Zan. The homicide cops were able to find the file of the man in question. His name was Bai Taro, a Triple Threat enforcer.

"Your turn," Korra smiled while cuffing the man and leading him down the hall to the interrogation room.

"Your friend had a lot to tell us," Mako sat across from Zan. "Bai is his name, isn't it?"

Zan looked visibly shaken at the idea of Bai talking.

"I mean, you've only been a Triple Threat for what, a few months?" Mako guessed. He was familiar enough with how fresh members acted from his own experience. "Bai has no loyalty to you, and he was perfectly happy to throw you under the bus."

"N-No he wouldn't…" Zan sputtered. "You're lying, you bastard!"

Korra pulled him up roughly by the collar before shoving him hard back into the metal chair. "You don't fucking talk to my partner like that!" She wound up for a punch.

They chatted over coffee on how exactly they wanted to try and break Zan. They agreed that Korra should keep playing rough, and let Mako moderate her like he was doing Zan a favor.

"Don't!" Mako pulled her away by the sleeve. "He's a Triple Threat, but he doesn't seem like the worst of the bunch. He might help us, no need to bruise him."

She huffed and took her position back by the door.

Mako straightened the Triple Threat's shirt before sitting back down. "Look, Bai gave us everything we need to convict you on drug possession with intent to distribute, and racketeering."

Zan flinched back, knowing how bad it would be for him if that were true.

"But look…" the detective sighed. "I like you Zan. And Bai is a nasty guy. I'd rather put him away and give you a second chance. I mean, everyone deserves one, right?"

The gang member nodded.

"If you can help us out, I'll just pull drug possession. You don't have any priors, so I bet you can walk away with a few months."

Zan stared down at his hands for a few minutes, fidgeting nervously with his handcuffs before breaking the silence. "I need protection from the Triple Threats."

"Done," Mako nodded. "We'll keep you somewhere safe too until this blows over."

"What do you want to know?"

Korra and Mako shared a glance of victory.

"We're investigating Future Industries," Korra spoke. "We need to know who is running the drug operation division."

"You're sure I'll be protected?"

"You'll have two cops watching you. And good ones too," she assured him.

Zan nodded wearily. "It's the Vice President of the Logistics Division, Wen Suk."

Mako looked over his shoulder at Korra. She was just as surprised as he was. They were sure that Kale Hibiki was going to be the Triple Threat's man on the inside.

"You're sure it's not Kale Hibiki?" Mako leaned in.

The Triple Threat shook his head. "Wen Suk has been on a family leave of absence for about a month now. It's a lie though. He's been laying low and hiding out with Zolt himself."

With Zan's testimony, he had enough to bring Suk in. And with what the forensic accountants were bound to find, they would have enough to fulfill the mysterious caller's ask to take down the drug wing. Not to mention they were helping Asami greatly.

But to do all that, they needed to get to Suk, and that meant wandering into the belly of the beast. Lightning Bolt Zolt wasn't stupid. He was a big picture sort of guy that understood that sometimes you had to let things go to keep things intact. They needed Zolt to give up the Sato wing.

"I know where they are," Zan spoke up. "I'll tell you anything you need to know."

.

.

It took two days for them to get all the materials and manpower to mount the operation. He spent the last forty-eight hours wondering if they were really brash enough to try this. But in the end, they had no other choice. There were no leads on the Red Killer that they could follow except for the line that the mysterious caller that he promised to offer.

They were going right to the source: Zolt. In talking through some Triple Threats, Zolt was willing to discuss Wen Suk. The few undercover cops they had in the Triple Threats were alerted. The hunt for the Red Killer was deemed important enough to allow them to out themselves if it meant moving their case forward.

Mako was so absorbed in his thoughts he realized too late he was on a collision course. His chest firmly impacted the other person as their feet tangled up, leading them to fall into a collapsed heap on the ground.

"Are detectives allowed to be that oblivious?" Korra's voice was muffled beneath him.

He sat up slowly; their limbs still an awkward tangle. He knew the scene was something out of a film, but he felt color and heat rise into his cheeks out of embarrassment of being so oblivious and the closeness.

"Is everything okay?"

"Y-Yeah," he stuttered. "Why?"

"Because you won't get the fuck off of me!"

"Oh!" He scrambled off her quickly as if burned and clumsily got to his feet before extending a hand down to her.

"Are you sure everything is fine?" She narrowed her eyes in a thinly veiled accusation.

"Us…we're okay, right?" He was purposefully vague.

"Of course," Korra smiled. "Even if we weren't, we've got a big job to do tonight."

Freezing everything and focusing on work is what he needed to do. That was something he had always been good at, no matter how difficult things got. But today, he just felt uneasy about everything. He knew they had to see if Zolt would make a deal, but he had this nagging feeling that it wouldn't go as planned. Things rarely did anyway. Not even the briefing, run by Beifong herself, managed to quell is unease. There were undercover cops there, ready to break cover if it came to keeping them safe. The hideout in the waterfront district was to be discretely surrounded with Beifong's elite squad. Every single precaution and possibly helpful resource was there.

"Trust me, I'm nervous too," she spoke quietly. "We're taking a really big risk."

He squeezed her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "It'll be worth it if it puts that bastard behind bars."

Her lack of reply confirmed what he was thinking: what if it didn't? What if this was just another dead end? But no, he couldn't think like that. Each and every step they took  _had_  to lead them closer to the Red Killer.

"Agreed. We've prepared the best we can given the circumstances." A confident smirk played upon her lips, "Don't worry. I'm the kind of cop that is prepared for the worst."

"As if I didn't know that already." He sighed, "We're going to be at a disadvantage in there though. Even on even-terms, hand-to-hand combat, we can really only hope to win one on one."

"It's not worth stressing about," she waved him off. She took a deep breath and readjusted the her shoulder holster, "We should go. The unmarked detail should be ready to follow us into the waterfront district."

Mako nodded and led the way to the car.

The plan was simple. There was a detail of two unmarked cars that would follow them, and peel off at predetermined points. From there, they would proceed alone. The order from the Triple Threats was that they come alone, and prepared to give over their weapons. From Beifong's point of view, the Triple Threats weren't going to play fair to any terms, so they needed to be ready to combat that.

Not a word passes between them as they crawl through evening traffic towards the waterfront. Mako's stomach churned with a sort of nervous excitement that he wanted gone sooner rather than later. There was no room for errors tonight, and they both knew it. Behind them, he watched the first unmarked car peel off, and then the second a few blocks later as they arrived at the agreed upon location.

The area was poorly lit by a few streetlamps that flickered in the darkness. The partners locked eyes before exiting the car and walking at a measured pace towards the single door, illuminated by two lanterns. It was undoubtedly the place.

Without warning, a half-dozen Triple Threats streamed out of the door and fanned out in front of them. They were well armed; two of the gangers had Tommy guns hanging by the shoulder.

"Alright, hands where we can see them. We've been expectin' you."

Mako and Korra slowly brought their empty and open hands out in front of them.

The Triple Threat detachment moved to surround them, and quickly hustled them inside. The interior was nothing like one might assume from the industrial warehouse façade. Inside, it was like one of Republic City's better nightclubs. The deep red carpet met the ornate walls, covered with what were presumably handmade carvings. This place had to be one of the newer hideouts; Mako was sure it wasn't in existence back when he ran with the gang. He couldn't help but wonder why the Triple Threats would lead them to one of their more guarded statehouses.

"Check 'em."

Rough hands descended on them, patting them down for weapons. They made quick work of the pistol in his jacket, and felt down his legs for any additional guns.

"Squirmy, eh?" One of the gang members whistled as he frisked through Korra's coat. He handed her gun to one of the other men before turning his attention back at her. "Not everyday I get ordered to touch such a pretty doll."

Mako watched in disgust as the Triple Threat obscenely ran his hands down one of his partner's legs. He so desperately wanted to step in; he felt like it was part of his job to protect her. But something like that could easy turn to a brawl—

Korra drove her knee sharply upward. She caught the slackened jaw of the gangster, which shut with a hollow click as his teeth slammed together.

"You bitch!"

"I have to apologize for my men."

The gangsters scrambled to their feet at the appearance of their boss.

Zolt grinned, "What can I say? You don't always get the best when you're in my line of work." His golden eyes roamed over the pair. "Good to see you again Mako, my boy!"

The detective gritted his teeth. He wasn't that, not anymore.

"And this must be Detective Korra!" Zolt's sarcastic enthusiasm elicited a laugh from his followers. "I've heard a lot about you."

Mako felt a prickling on the skin at the back of his neck. Something was wrong here. He swallowed, his mouth dry, "The deal? We're not here to waste time."

"You see…" Zolt took his time, "this city has a few issues. And as a man who likes to see this city do good, I gotta take action where it's needed. This city is unbalanced. It needs crooks and cops to keep in runnin', and you two are a great example."

The detective narrowed his eyes.

"It's time to fix that balance. And it starts with you two. Cops have had their run, but it's time to show 'em who really runs this city."

It all happened too fast. Two of the men grabbed him by the arms, before pinning a rag over his nose and mouth. The world in front of him became spotted with blackness as he slumped to his knees, darkness overtaking him.

Chloroform.

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 **Author Note:**  Believe it or not, not too many chapters left. I would love to hear from you, especially since I feel a bit rusty after my break due to exams. Thank you for reading.


	15. I'll Get By (As Long as I Have You)

**Rating:**  M (language, violence, sex)

 **Chapter Word Count:**  ~2800

 **Summary:**  Mako is already a well-experienced homicide detective in Republic City when Beifong reluctantly assigns him to take over the case of the "Red Killer," the serial murderer that likely was responsible for the death of his parents. Little does he know that the Beifong's reassignment of Vice Detective Korra as his new partner will change things in ways he never anticipated. Noir AU

 **Author Note:**  Not one of the longer chapters, but I don't think it'll disappoint (or at least I hope not).

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**Chapter 15 – "I'll Get By (As Long as I Have You)"**

" _I'll get by as long as I have you_

_Though there'll be rain and darkness too_

_I'll not complain, I'll see it through"_

.

The first thing Mako noticed was the smell of gasoline. The air around him seemed stale and still, and he had to resist the urge to cough in a vain attempt to purge the foul air from his lungs. It smelled like he was in a garage, one where the occasional spill of gas soaked into the floor. His hip shifted uncomfortably on the hard floor below him, his shoulder and cheek rubbing painfully on the rough pavement. His lips were slightly parted, and his mouth tasted dry as he licked his lips and swallowed.

His head throbbed as his eyes opened slowly. A groan of pain escaped his lips as the world tilted and shifted around him. He closed his eyes again, fighting off the ensuing wave of nausea that washed over him. He would hate to vomit, and end up laying uselessly in his own throw-up. He reserved that sort of thing for the alcoholics that the beat cops swept off the streets in the wee hours of the morning.

It was a garage all right. The main door was closed in front of him, a few beams of light sneaking through the cracks. Light…but he and Korra had their meeting with Zolt at night…

The memories flooded back into his consciousness quickly. They had been chloroformed.

Instinctively, he moved to rub his face to attempt to get rid of the lingering bleariness from his drug-induced nap. But his hands quickly met resistance; they were tied tightly behind his back.

"Thank God you're finally awake," Korra's voice sounded behind him. One of her hands brushed by his.

Fuck, they were tired back to back, their hands joined by thick rope.

"My right arm has been half numb for the last hour," she squirmed. "Can we try to sit up? I couldn't do it on my own and pull all of your dead weight."

"I am  _not_  heavy."

"You are when you're heavily drugged and snoozing away. Now can we please get up so we can get closer to figuring a way out of this?"

Getting up was harder than he would have thought. It was an awkward scramble that took twisting and turning to get them each upright. His feet scraped against the dirty floor, his arms straining behind him as he and Korra failed to move in tandem. Finally, they settled on the ground back to back, legs splayed out in front.

"How long have we been out?" Mako twisted his head to the side, trying to pull her into even his peripheral vision.

"At least all night," Korra shifted, still trying to get into a remotely comfortable position. "I don't know if they dosed you higher or something, because you were out a lot longer than me. There's no clock or anything though so I have no idea how long."

"We need to get out of here."

"No shit, Sherlock."

Zolt had something planned for them, and he was sure that he did not want to find out first hand what that was. The Triple Threat Triads didn't exactly have a lovely reputation in their dealings with cops. It was estimated that they were the cause of most on-duty Republic City Police Officer deaths since they became the main underworld power a few years back. If the gang wanted to quietly kill them and have them disappear, they wouldn't have woken up at all.

"Are you hurt?" His voice softened.

"Other than a headache?" She twisted her head to the side so they were almost cheek-to-cheek. "I'm fine. Even if I weren't, that would be something we would have to worry about later. Let's get our hands out of this first."

That wasn't going to be an easy task. Mako could tell that the ropes were sturdy and tied tightly. Ever time he shifted his hands, the coarse bindings rubbed painfully over his already raw skin. He narrowed his hand by squeezing his fingers together and tried to pull out through the loops. This only chafed his hands further. But he had to try; he pulled at his hand until he felt his wrist threaten to disconnect from his arm.

Behind him, he felt Korra try the same. Maybe with her smaller hands she would have more success. She grunted with what he hoped was exertion and not pain, until she slumped back against him in failure.

"I think I have a way out, but it's gonna be hard with us tied up like this," she turned towards him.

"Well we've gotta do something. What is it?"

"Remember how they only got halfway through the weapons check on us?"

Of course! Korra kneed the Triple Threat for his perverseness, and the guards stopped since Zolt made his entrance.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"I've got a small knife strapped to my calf, but there's no way I can reach it." She contorted her body and pushed her left leg around as close to him as she could. "You're going to need to get it out."

"You want me to grab a knife…with my mouth…"

"For fucks sake!" She barked. "Do you want to be fish food or get the hell out of here?"

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps through a door across the room froze them in place.

"You'd better hope they didn't hear that," Mako whispered. "Quick, back on to our side. Pretend we're still out."

The two quickly flopped back down to their sides and closed their eyes.

The door opened with a creak, and the footsteps approached them.

"How much did you give 'em?"

"I didn't think it was  _that_ much."

The shoe of one of them nudged him in the ribs; the detective had to do all he could to keep his breathing slow.

"Zolt needs 'em awake."

"I really don't wanna sit in 'ere the whole time with these sleepers. We'll come back in thirty or so, and hopefully they finally wake up. Fuck, don't give them so much next time."

The footsteps faded away back through the door. The sound of a bolt closing on the other end echoed in the empty room.

"That was close…" Korra sighed, sitting back up with his aid. "Now get this knife!" She pressed her leg against the ground, inching her pant leg up just enough so that he could see the bottom of the blade.

Mako dropped to his side, his hand twisting painfully since their bodies were now virtually perpendicular to one another's. He scooted himself closer on the dirty ground towards her.

She winced, "Careful there, you're pulling my arm."

"Sorry, I think this is the only way I can make it work."

Finally, he got close enough that his nose was pressed up against the back of her leg. He took the hem of her pants between his teeth, and struggled to pull them upwards to reveal more of the concealed knife. It was a battle of mere centimeters as he pulled the fabric higher and higher on her calf.

"Jeez, buy a girl dinner first," she laughed quietly.

Although she couldn't see it, Mako rolled his eyes and continued his tedious work. Finally, the whole blade was revealed. He bit down on the small hilt, and yanked his head to the side to pull it from the holster. A sharp pain from what was probably a pulled muscle jolted up his neck; that would hurt in the morning.

"Got it," he said through his clenched jaw.

"Drop it and slide it towards my hands."

He did as asked, and struggled back upright so Korra could get to work. Slowly, strand-by-strand, she used the small, serrated section of the knife to cut through their bonds while being careful not to cut flesh on accident.

Figuring she still had some time to go, Mako took the opportunity to take a closer look at the room. The first possible exits that came to mind were the door that the Triple Threats entered through, and the large garage door that took up most of the wall space. The garage was probably locked; these grunts wouldn't be that sloppy.

A small window at the top, probably the width of his shoulders caught his eye in the corner of the room. There were a few boxes nearby that they could stack to the needed height to escape.

"Got it!" Korra freed her hands, and rubbed her raw wrists. "Let's get your hands now." She started to work at the remaining rope that bound his hands together.

"The window up there…I think we can slip out."

She nodded, her attention still focused on cutting the rope. "If you think it's our best option then I trust you."

It was amazing to think they went from a pair of pretty hostile strangers, to a pair that trusted the other to cover their back. Of the handful of partners Mako had worked with, Korra was certainly the one he trusted most with his life. While she could be seemingly reckless and rash, he knew now that she only had their best in mind. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that they would get out of this together.

"Got it!"

He felt the pressure release around his wrists and he got quickly to his feet. Mako rolled his shoulders, enjoying the freedom for even just a moment.

"We need to move," he grabbed Korra's arm to usher her to the window escape route.

The sound of footsteps and voices permeated through the door. It was horrible timing.

"Shit," she hissed, "we probably can't pull of the sleeping thing again."

"We're going to have to take them. Don't kill them if we can, it might be useful to have a hostage."

Together, they rushed towards the door. There wasn't much cover in the room; there wasn't a place they could hide for long anyway. They flattened themselves against the wall that contained the door. All they could hope for was that they could get surprise on their side. The pair of detectives was outgunned for sure. Korra had the small blade on her, but that wouldn't prove useful in a brawl unless they kept it at a short distance or they would be shot full of holes.

Mako made eye contact with his partner. She gave him a short nod.

"They said to drag 'em out even if they're still out cold."

The locking bolt on the other end squeaked open, and the door swung open quickly. Korra had to scoot back to avoid having the hefty metal door knocking her down.

"Where did they—"

The first Triple Threat goon didn't have a chance to finish his sentence. Korra attacked him from behind. She snaked her arm roughly around his neck to pull him into a quick choke and held her blade up against the man's jawline for a good measure. The gang member struggled, but Korra applied pressure until he was starting to lose his footing, his consciousness fading.

The other Triple Threat wheeled around with his gun, the sights firmly on Mako.

Korra acted quickly, releasing the man from her grasp and shoving him forcefully forward, knocking him into the armed man. The gunman grunted in surprise, his aim faltering as he pulled the trigger instinctively.

Mako heard the gunshot a split second after a sharp pain on his right shoulder invaded his consciousness. He grabbed at his shoulder quickly and stumbled back.

"Grab the gun!" Korra kicked the gunman's hand, sending the pistol spinning across the floor.

He ignored the acute pain in his shoulder and ran over, leaning down and quickly picking up the weapon in his injured arm. He kicked the still conscious Triple Threat Triad in the temple, sending his world to black.

"Did you get hit?" She walked over quickly, concern etched on her face.

Part of him didn't want to look, but he knew he had to. Slowly he pulled his hand from his shoulder; his palm was covered in blood.

"Let me take a look." Korra stepped close to him. "Looks like you got lucky. He only grazed you."

"Wasn't luck," he replaced his hand over the wound and looked up. "Thanks for having my back."

"Save the sentimental shit until we get the fuck out of here."

Mako smiled and jogged after her towards the corner window. Although the door was unlocked, they couldn't be sure what they would encounter in the facility. It could easily give them a fight that they weren't equipped for.

"You've got the gun. Cover the door." She began stacking the boxes and crates to allow access to the window.

He took the opportunity to run over and close the door the Triple Threats had come through. An open door would cause questions. A closed door could buy them a few minutes, and that was all they would need. The small Saturday night special revolver he picked off the gang member only had five shots left in it anyway.

"Get over here!" Korra sat atop the pile of crates. Her hand pushed the small window open easily.

Mako climbed up beside her, gratefully grabbing her hand to help him surmount the gap up to the window level. He could feel the small pile shifting slightly under his feet as Korra eased herself out the window feet first.

"Thank God there's a dumpster out here." He heard Korra drop to the lid of the dumpster before dropping to the ground. "Come on down!"

He wiped his bloody hand on his pants before lowering himself down after Korra. Last thing he wanted to do was to leave a bloody handprint that screamed which direction they went. He stepped down to the dumpster before landing roughly on the ground.

"Can you tell where we are?"

"Let's just put some distance between them and us," Korra looked around before taking off down the alley to their right.

He kept pace with her, keeping vigilant should they be followed. While he didn't know where they were yet, he could tell they were off the beaten track. There weren't any marked shop fronts or buildings that were obviously residential.

"I think we're in Dragon Flats," Korra pointed down the street. "There's a police substation just a few blocks down."

Since they were rejoining regular foot traffic, Mako tucked the revolver beneath his coat and covered his wound again with his hand. The last thing they needed to do was draw any unwanted attention. Beifong would kill them if they started a panic amongst civilians, so walking around with a drawn gun was forbidden. Even without that factor, he and Korra weren't out of danger yet. Dragon Flats was an area that was always crawling with Triple Threat Triads. They just needed to keep on their straight-line path to safety.

After navigating through what appeared to be the midday crowd, they finally made it to the police substation.

"Can I help you?" The cop manning the desk looked up. "Holy shit, the whole force has been looking for you two!"

"He needs a medic," Korra nudged him forward.

"I'm fine."

She shot him a no-nonsense glare that told him it was futile to argue.

"What time is it?" Mako looked around for a clock.

"It's about one-thirty," the cop behind the desk directed the cop with the first aid kit to Mako. "What the hell happened to you?"

He winced when the medic applied antiseptic to his wound. "That's something that we should probably only discuss with those cleared on our case."

"Fair enough," the cop shrugged. "I'm guessing you didn't hear the big news while you were out of contact then."

"What big news?"

"The Red Killer! They finally caught that bastard!"

Mako looked at Korra, sharing her look of disbelief.

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 **Author Note:**  Feedback, reviews, messages, reblogs, etc. are welcomed as always. Thank you for reading! I can't wait to get this fic out of my head for you to read!


	16. End of a Love Affair

**Rating:**  M (language, violence, sex)

 **Chapter Word Count:**  ~3000

 **Summary:**  Mako is already a well-experienced homicide detective in Republic City when Beifong reluctantly assigns him to take over the case of the "Red Killer," the serial murderer that likely was responsible for the death of his parents. Little does he know that the Beifong's reassignment of Vice Detective Korra as his new partner will change things in ways he never anticipated. Noir AU

 **Author Note:**  READ THIS PLEASE. It seems that good old FF dot net did NOT send out an alert for the posting of Chapter 15. Please double check that you have read the last chapter before starting this one.

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**Chapter 16 – "End of a Love Affair"**

" _So I walk a little too fast and I drive a little too fast_

_And I'm reckless it's true, but what else can you do_

_At the end of a love affair?"_

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"That isn't the Red Killer," Mako pointed through the one-way window into the interrogation room.

The late afternoon sunlight shone through the windows of the Central Police Station and cast long shadows in the busy space. A quick trip to the infirmary patched up his shoulder sufficiently, and he insisted to everyone that asked that he was fine. He and Korra were back on the job quickly.

"How would you know?" The police captain named Rong Huang was quickly growing on the detective's nerves. "You never figured out who he was."

"Then how would  _you_  know that this is the guy?" Korra crossed her arms, her voice rising in intensity and pitch. "You barely know anything about the investigation anyway. I know you weren't on the need-to-know list."

Huang's face scrunched up in anger. "You two should know! The triads pointed us to this guy because of some deal that you two made."

"So…you just grabbed him and brought him to the station?" Korra yelled back.

"Are you kidding? Of course I didn't fucking do that you ditz!"

Despite any better thoughts, Korra shoved the cop roughly backwards. Mako had to jump between them and grab his partner by the shoulders to prevent further escalation. He pushed the agitated detective back into a chair to try to calm her down. He didn't want this to come to blows…Huang wouldn't stand a chance.

"The Triple Threats pointed us to this guy!" Huang straightened his uniform. "We found him over the body of a new victim, and he admitted to the whole thing! Every single killing."

"Murder weapon?" Mako eyed him skeptically.

The officer pointed toward the table. "Found that blade on him."

"Blade" really was the accurate description. It was a makeshift weapon that looked to be hastily assembled. It wasn't the weapon of the Red Killer. He remembered the markings that Zhou had pointed out on the victim in the morgue. The force of the stab in the back left behind bruising from the guard. There was evidence of triangular markings on each blade. Of course their search for the custom weapon in Dragon Flats had been a failure, but that didn't mean they still couldn't say for sure that this was not the weapon that killed the victims of the Red Killer.

"Is he a Triple Threat?" Mako crossed his arms.

"One way to find out," Korra shrugged, and stormed out of the room and slammed the door shut for what he assumed to be dramatic effect. She appeared quickly on the other side of one-way mirror and wrenched the man's sleeve up before he could protest. "Yeah, no Triple Threat tattoo here," she knocked on the glass mockingly before returning to the other side.

Huang rolled up his sleeves, "Look just because you two fucked up doesn't mean—"

"Why the hell is a screaming match going on in here?" Beifong barged in.

"T-These detectives are just unable t-to see the t-truth," Huang stammered.

"Is this not the man we've been looking for?" The police chief swept her gaze to the pair of detectives. "I was under the impression that we had an authentic confession."

"The details don't line up," Mako shook his head.

The puzzle pieces just weren't fitting right. Instead of just shoving them together and being willfully blind to the fact that the picture in front of them was distorted with mismatching lines and broken curves, they needed to get to the bottom of the truth. After all, that was what detectives were supposed to do.

It took a few minutes to explain the weapon description and reasoning behind it from Zhou after examination of the victims. He then went on to explain that they thought the Red Killer had to be an established Triple Threat, not just some flunky kid with possible loose associations to the underworld organization.

Beifong took a moment in silence to consider everything he had said before speaking up. "Officer Huang, you're dismissed. Go back to your normal duties."

The police officer's face flushed red from what Mako knew had to be anger or embarrassment (or perhaps both) as he retreated quietly from the room.

"I'm not sure why this error happened, but you two can be sure I will get to the bottom of it," Beifong took a deep breath. "I am sure the two of you suspect foul play here as I do. Not all of the corruption is out of this department."

The pair nodded in understanding.

The police chief cast her unwavering gaze upon them. "The case will remain open—"

"I  _must_  have heard you wrong there," Republic City Councilman Tarrlok stepped into the small room. "Officer Huang said I could find you three in here."

Mako tried his best to mask the look of disgust that appeared on his face. All the man ever had in mind was getting more power within Republic City. Recently, this took the form of his relentless campaign to be elected mayor. The man was slimy, and that was putting it gently. His new "Tarrlok for a Safer City" strain of propaganda was taking the city by storm. Having a case closed would look good for his efforts as a member of the City Council; it might mean the difference between winning or losing the mayoral election.

"You two have done an excellent job," Tarrlok clapped Mako on the shoulder in an affectionate gesture that came off cold and stiff. "You should be glad that this case is off your plate and enjoy the glory that comes with putting a high-profile crook behind bars."

"Not exactly," Korra leaned back against the wall. "This man isn't the Red Killer."

The aspiring mayor's smile turned into a scowl. "And this is according to you two?"

"Who else?" She smirked, her defiant streak bleeding through any need for civility. "I mean we are the principal investigators."

"Not anymore," Tarrlok held up a small stack of paperwork. "It seems that the order to close the case has already gone through. You're little 'love affair' chasing the Red Killer is over. You've had a good run though. You two have generated quite a bit of positive publicity for a department that much of the city, according to the latest opinion polls, has little to no faith in."

"And you're expecting us to just let this happen?" Korra took an aggressive step forward. She did tend to rely on her physical prowess to get things done.

"Well it'll be a smart decision," the politician gave them a smile that didn't quite meet his eyes. "I think you two would be… _moving up_  quite quickly, especially if this election goes my way."

"Yeah…no," Korra shrugged.

"Well it isn't your decision,  _detective_ ," the councilman lingered on her title. "Case is closed. Get back to work. This great city doesn't pay you to stand around." Tarrlok slammed the door on his way out.

Mako knew that the politicians were corrupt manipulators, but never did he think that one would go so far as to directly impact his work. Because of some red tape, he and Korra weren't going to be able to proceed to find the man that was actually murdering young women in the darkness of night. Another kill would send the media into a tizzy of "copycat" proclamations, while some outlets would surely find the truth that the Red Killer was never caught in the first place.

Tarrlok wasn't stupid. He was counting on this happening. But he knew by the time that it all blew up, the election would have already passed. As mayor, the man would probably fire Beifong and have her take the fall while he pushed one of his unqualified cronies into the job.

Beifong swore quietly under her breath, and ran a hand over her face in exasperation. "I'm not sure I can do much to reopen this case with everything as it is."

"You've got to be kidding!" Mako tried to keep his voice down since he was, after all, talking to his boss. "There has to be something we can do! We need to bring the real guy to justice."

"I said there is nothing I can do," the police chief snapped. "But because of the strain of this case, I imagine the two of you will be taking a week or so off to recharge before returning to your respective departments."

"Wait I—" he shut his mouth as soon as the senior officer's meaning hit him. "Of course ma'am."

"Before you leave for the day, take the suspect to holding," Beifong smiled slightly. "You are welcome to have a chat with him if you wish."

The door closed quietly behind her, leaving the two partners in silence. Mako felt more determined than ever to get to the truth hidden within the obscuring fog of lies that twisted around them. Of course this case wasn't going to be truly closed easily. In many ways, solving a murder was like stumbling through a room in the dark. You know you are searching for a door on the other end, but you never know what obstacles stand between you and the objective.

With the Red Killer case, it seemed like walls were rising from the earth to keep them separated from the true killer. There were so many fighting ambitions in Republic City, all with their own agenda and lust for power and influence.

"Shall we nail this dirtbag to the wall?" Korra cracked her knuckles.

Mako nodded, and led the way into the interrogation room.

"Look, I already confessed and everything to the cops," the man at the table gestured tiredly with his cuffed hands. "I don't regret any of it, and I'm not saying anything to you people."

The detectives took a seat across the table in the sparse room.

The Triple Threats would have had to promise this man something good if they expected him to take the fall for something so big.

"Look, you don't want to take the fall for this," Mako leaned in and lowered his voice. "I don't know what they promised you, but we have so much evidence against the Red Killer that you'll be in prison for the rest of your life. What's your name?"

The man was visibly paled, and swallowed hard before answering. "…Haruki."

"Haruki…" Korra reached out and put her hand on his. "We just want to get to the bottom of this. What did the Triple Threats promise you? Money? Drugs?"

"I-I told you, I have nothing to say!"

"Oh come on, spit it out already," Korra rocked back in her chair. "I know you probably haven't dealt with competent cops before, but this is what it's like. We already know the truth, and we're wasting everyone's time by pretending that you don't know what we're talking about."

"Korra, calm down," Mako kept his voice soft. "Haruki, we can help you. What did the Triple Threats promise you?"

"Lots of money…" he said slowly. "Enough for my family to live on for years."

"You can't really help them if you're in prison," Mako added. "Help us out. We can protect you and your family, and we can keep the real Red Killer from murdering more innocent women."

"I don't think I can help much…" Haruki buried his face in his hands. "I got an envelope in the mail with a wad of cash, and a promise of more if I turned myself in. I didn't even meet with anyone!"

"Just knowing that is enough," Korra did her best to be reassuring. "Don't say anything to anyone. We're going to keep you in holding here instead of sending you out. Just hang tight, and we'll keep you safe while we catch the real guy."

The detectives quickly stood up, and walked Haruki to holding.

The Triple Threats would only want to end the Red Killer case if there was a true connection there. Their investigation was getting close, and far closer than Zolt and his cronies wanted to allow. Now, they needed to finish this case before they could be stopped again, whether by gang members or corrupt politicians.

"If Beifong is going to give us  _vacation_ , we might as well take a relaxing night," Korra put a firm hand on his shoulder.

"We don't have time to waste," he shrugged her off.

"Hey!" She spun him around so that they were toe to toe. "Yesterday was an ordeal by anyone's standards. We need some good food, and we need sleep. We can start first thing tomorrow morning."

He had to cave to her request. "You're right. Why don't you come over to my place and we'll plan our next move."

For a moment in the silence, he wondered what to do next. Part of him wanted desperately to reach out to her. He wanted to show that they were still in this crazy case together, and that he had her back. Still he remained frozen as she gave him a quick nod, before turning and putting her hat on for the journey home. He wasn't even sure he could find words to describe accurately the confusing swirl of emotions that bubbled up yet again from the bottom of his stomach.

His feet lead him out of the station and down to his car. He barely realized that he had arrived back on the stoop of his apartment building until this foot caught unexpectedly on the last stair, causing him to embarrassingly stumble. Mako dragged himself up the stairs until he reached his door. He fumbled for his keys through his coat pockets until the door opened suddenly in front of him.

"Where the fuck have you been?" Bolin scolded, hauling his older brother inside. "You did come back last night, and you haven't been answering Asami's calls!"

A wave of guilt crashed over the detective. The kidnapping incident didn't reach the papers or the radio bulletins. Although it would be easy to just say, "hey I was kidnapped and got grazed by a bullet," this would only lead to more questions he couldn't answer for them. He didn't want them to worry. This wasn't their burden to bear, and he had the opportunity to protect them from extraneous pain.

"I've been really busy—"

"But not anymore I guess," Asami stepped out from behind the corner. "I heard on the radio that the police have the Red Killer in custody. Is that true?"

As much as he wanted to, he couldn't well tell Asami and Bolin the truth. What remained of the Red Killer case had to stay between him and Korra; of that he had no doubt. The fact was, he didn't know whom he could trust. He could of course trust Bolin, but truth be told, he didn't know Asami that well.

"Look, I can't really talk about it—"

"Is this usual for him?" Asami turned to Bolin.

"He gets like this sometimes…" his brother scratched his head. "Look, I have training tonight. I'll leave you two alone. Maybe by the time I get back he'll have his head on straight." Bolin swung his boxing gloves over his shoulder and stormed out.

She narrowed her eyes, "What do you mean you can't talk about it?"

"I can't—"

"What about my company?" Asami cut the distance between them to a few mere inches. "I have the right to know what is going on with this case!"

Tiredness was getting the better of him. "Actually, you don't have the  _right_. I have been giving you a privilege of getting updates. That isn't something I have to give anyone!"

"Do you really not care at all?"

"What on fucking earth would give you that impression?"

Asami crossed her arms, "You haven't returned even one of my calls! I don't think I'm overreacting in thinking that at least getting a bit of response is just common courtesy."

"I said that I've been busy with this case—"

"Wait," she smiled exasperatedly, a sardonic laugh escaping between her red lips. "I get it now. You are the job. Catching crooks, while admirable, is all you think about."

"Wait Asami I—"

"No. I really should have seen this coming," she shook her head. "You clearly have more important things to attend to."

The door slammed behind her before he could get another word out.

"Fuck…" Mako muttered.

He tossed his jacket and hat on to the coat rack before pulling the half-empty bottle of whiskey into his lap on the couch. He unscrewed the cap quickly, and took a swig. Although he knew this was a bad decision, he could only hope that the liquor would help him find the sleep that would certainly elude him.

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 **Author Note:**  You know the deal. Comments are always welcomed. Looking to keep some momentum in my writing up as we move into the final stretch.


	17. Good Morning Heartache

**Rating:**  M (language, violence, sex)

 **Chapter Word Count:**  ~3700

 **Summary:**  Mako is already a well-experienced homicide detective in Republic City when Beifong reluctantly assigns him to take over the case of the "Red Killer," the serial murderer that likely was responsible for the death of his parents. Little does he know that the Beifong's reassignment of Vice Detective Korra as his new partner will change things in ways he never anticipated. Noir AU

 **Author Note:**  To my FFnet readers, I'm sorry if I haven't replied to your review! FFnet stuff started getting hurled into my spam folder. I tried to go back and reply!

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**Chapter 17 – "Good Morning Heartache"**

" _Good morning, heartache, here we go again_  
Good morning, heartache, you're the one who knew me when  
Might as well get used to you hangin' around  
Good morning, heartache, sit down"

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The first regret of Mako's morning was that he didn't have the foresight to close the blinds before he collapsed into bed. His east-facing window brought harsh sunlight upon his face when he least wanted it. He pulled the pillow from beneath his head and pressed it over his face, desperate for a little bit of darkness to help him fall back to sleep. At least he hadn't woken with a headache. A whisky hangover was the last thing he wanted to deal with on a day that already promised to be busy.

The stale scent from his pillow reminded him that he had been neglecting household work, as he and Korra were preoccupied with the Red Killer case. He would have to get to laundry and changing his sheets…eventually. This wasn't too out of the ordinary for him though. Although he was perpetually responsible, he only had so much energy and time to allocate in the day. Quite frankly he thought catching a murderer and preventing further deaths to be a cause that deserved higher priority over anything else.

Slowly but surely, Mako rolled out of bed. He twisted and stretched before lethargically getting to his feet. He ambled into the hall, the sound of Bolin's snores from the room across the hall cut through the closed door. He hung a quick left into the kitchen and leaned down to sift through the fridge. As much as he criticized Bolin for his frequent take-out orders (when there was plenty of food to cook in their apartment), he was thankful to see a covered container of leftover dumplings, which he gladly ate cold. He switched the stove on to boil water to make tea.

Korra would be arriving any moment, and then the day would really begin. They were firmly out of their jurisdiction acting on a closed case while they were on "vacation." Breaking rules when needed never particularly bothered him. When he and Bolin were children, they stole to eat because it was the only way. When they were Triple Threat Triads, it was because there was no alternative that would keep them together with enough pay to get by.

The kettle whistled across the room. Mako plodded bare-footed to start his cup of tea. Although his bleariness signaled that this was more of a coffee morning, Bolin evidently hadn't picked up the slack in the grocery shopping leaving them without any coffee beans. They were expensive anyway and they could do without.

A real vacation is exactly what he needed. He wished he could just relax here for the day, sipping at tea while perusing the entire paper, not just the front page as usual. Maybe once they caught the actual Red Killer, he could take at least a day or two off, or maybe even a week.

Three knocks to the door pulled him out of his daydream.

"Coming!" He yelled, momentarily forgetting that his brother was asleep down the hall. Luckily though, the boxer slept so deeply that the building would have to collapse before he woke.

His feet stepped on something unfamiliar as he reached for the doorknob. He reached down to pick up a manila envelope that had been slipped under the door. It was unremarkable, but the red wax seal that was adorned with a dragon in flight was immediately recognizable. It was the same seal as the first envelope they had received from their mysterious contact.

Mako undid the multiple bolt locks, and pulled the door open inward.

Korra smirked and gave him the once-over. "Nice pajamas."

He had forgotten that he hadn't changed. He still was wearing his ratty pants and white tank top, both showing signs of tear and repair.

Choosing to ignore her comment, he showed her in as he clutched the envelope under his arm. "Tea?"

"I'd love some," she sat down at the modest kitchen table.

Mako dropped the manila envelope in front of her before pouring her a small cup of tea. "Looks like our contact is reaching out."

"Where did you get this?" Korra blew on the surface of the hot liquid, her palm skimming over the envelope.

"It was pushed under my door sometime last night. I found it when I came to let you in," he took a sip of his rapidly cooling tea. "It had to have been left late, since Bolin didn't see it and pick it up when he came in."

"May I?" she settled her hand on the seal.

He nodded.

She carefully peeled the wax seal back and pulled a single sheet of paper out.

"THE SITUATION IS GETTING DIRE. QUICK ACTION IS REQUIRED. MEET AT 1ST AND 7TH AT 1:45 AM. IT IS TIME FOR US TO MEET FACE TO FACE."

"Well I guess I know what we're doing tonight," Korra drummed her fingers impatiently on the table.

"It has to be the same guy from before."

"Was that even a question?"

He took a deep breath, "Yes. Because if it isn't the same guy—"

"It would be a trap," she finished his sentence.

"And if it is? Not like we can pull any backup."

Since the case was closed and they were on leave, there was no way they could get a squad of beat cops to watch their backs. No, they were fully on their own for this one.

"What else?" She flashed a cocky grin, "We spring the trap. But I don't think it'll come to that. With the wax seal, it seems like it's the same guy. And with the information he gave us last time, I think he will come clean like he promised."

"Alright, I guess we don't have any other choice."

"You know, we've got over twelve hours to burn until we get face to face with our contact."

Mako quirked an eyebrow, "And?"

"We should do something," she rocked back so the chair was balancing on two legs only. "I mean we're on  _vacation_ right? Might as well actually get a break before things get really crazy. And getting spotted wouldn't be a bad thing for our cover."

"Is it a Vice Detective thing to mix business and pleasure?" He didn't know what spurred him on.

"No…" she leaned over the table slowly towards him, "…it's more of a  _me_  thing."

He would never admit it later, but he got lost in her exotic blue eyes for the briefest of moments.

"Hey!" Bolin stumbled in from the hallway rubbing his eyes. "What are you two doing here so early?"

"Well after yesterday's—"

"We're on vacation and we're going to go spend the day out," Mako cut her off.

Korra narrowed her eyes. He didn't need to assume much to know what she was thinking. She was passing judgment on his inability to be forthcoming with his brother.

"Why don't the three of us go out for breakfast then?" Bolin exclaimed. "I know a great spot. The pancakes are to die for."

The detectives locked eyes. It wasn't a bad idea really. They had time to burn and a good meal would do them some good.

"Grab your coat and hat," Mako smiled, "let's go."

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"Did you not tell him about the kidnapping?" Korra looked around to be sure they weren't being followed before ducking into Mako's car under the cover of darkness.

Mako gripped the steering wheel tightly before starting the car off towards the meeting destination. "I don't like to make him worry."

"You can't protect him from everything. It seems like you do everything you can to shield him except for taking punches for him when he's in the ring."

He took a deep breath, "I'm his older brother. It's my job. And I'm not  _protecting_  him."

"But you can't keep this from him," she turned towards him and he kept his eyes trained on the road. "Don't you realize that you're only opening him up to more pain when he figures out that you've lied to him?"

"That's why he doesn't need to find out."

"He's going to read the newspaper you hid before we left for breakfast. He'll listen to the radio. He'll do something and find out that the Red Killer case is closed and that you lied to him again where we were going."

"This is none of your business," he gritted his teeth.

Korra was a great cop partner, but he wasn't exactly into having this sort of "heart to heart" with her right now. He wanted to catch a killer, and he sure as hell didn't want to be out at one in the morning in a bad neighborhood of Republic City. Life wasn't easy at the moment, and Korra wasn't making it any more bearable.

"Did you bring the envelope?" Mako willed his car to approach the destination faster.

"You can't change the subject so fast!" He could hear the smirk on her face through her voice.

"Don't think I'm going to spill my fucking guts to you when we're about to walk into a situation that could turn bad really fast," he spat.

"Well for fuck's sake," she crossed her arms in a huff and looked out the window.

They didn't speak a word the rest of the way, the hum of engine cutting through the silence that blanketed the Satomobile. Mako pushed down any anger that had risen in their short spat down. He knew he had to be as focused as he could possibly be in order to get his job done tonight. He had really hoped that Korra would be in better form for such an important event, but evidently he was wrong.

Mako parked his car around the corner from the meeting space. The streets were empty at this time of night, especially in a bad part of town like this. A few flickering streetlamps, struggling to hold on to their light in the darkness illuminated the street in a hazy yellow glow. The two detectives scanned the night, looking for anyone that might be their contact. They leaned up against a building wall, their faces obscured by shadow.

Of course, Korra was never one to pass up a quiet moment without a cigarette. She pulled one out of her coat, and wordlessly held it gently between two fingers for him to light. He of course complied quickly with a swift flick of his lighter. This was a familiar dance between the two, one that happened without either of them really thinking about it. Mako liked to think of it as a testament from how far they had come since the first light she asked him for. They truly were partners now.

He took a quick look at his watch. 1:45AM on the dot, and their contact was nowhere to be seen.

"Take a deep breath buddy," Korra bumped him lightly with her shoulder. "I'm sure he'll show."

"He was exactly on time last time, but I can wait."

"Now that's the cool under fire detective I love," she elbowed him playfully.

Mako did his best not to dwell on her work choice, and instead refocused looking at their surroundings. Time passed so slowly here while he played this waiting game. He and Korra moved their pieces; they just had to wait for their contact to make this. It took all of his will to keep himself from staring at the second hand on his watch.

When he felt that sufficient time had passed, he took a quick look. "It's 1:53 AM."

"Give the guy a break," Korra dropped her cigarette and put it out with her toe.

"He's not coming."

"No, I'm just late," a figure in the alley behind them spoke up.

Korra was the first to recognize the man, his coat collar up and his hat pulled low. "Kale?"

Mako took a deep breath and tried not to let his surprise betray him. Kale Hibiki? The Sato Industries dog that seemed happy to be unhelpful to them at every turn of the investigation. He was their contact? It had to be. The voice matched, and his slightly overweight figure, and face with his always-trimmed moustache and rounded face the unmistakable.

"Why?" He choked out.

Hibiki motioned them to follow down the alley. "We'll be out of sight. I can explain then."

Mako and Korra followed closely, reading to pull their firearms if the situation called for it. Finally they turned a corner into a smaller alley, which kept them out of view of the street. There was just enough light provided by a hanging light above an unmarked doorway for him to see Korra and Hibiki's face.

"Why?" Hibiki took a deep breath. "The drug business was going to fall eventually. And when it did, it would come crashing down on me. I never wanted to be a Triple Threat. I just wanted to get rich."

"So why make it fall faster?" Korra asked.

"If you were able to find the Triple Threats responsible, I knew enough about the operation that you would never be able to lead it back to me. I would get everything I wanted: freedom from the Triple Threats while maintaining my comfort of life."

"What changed then?" Mako spoke up.

"Your investigation has been far too successful," the businessman tipped his hat back to reveal more of his face in the poor lighting. "The Triple Threats are nervous, and rightfully so. You are on the edge of the biggest organized crime takedown in Republic City history, and you are barely even aware of the ramifications that would shake this city to its core. But time is running out with the Triple Threat's haste to eliminate you two."

"Forget it," Korra was getting impatient. "You said you had information on the Red Killer."

"I have terms," Hibiki smiled gravely. "I'm not stupid after all. I want protection, and I want to remain untouched by any charges."

"You know we can't promise that!" Frustration seeped into his voice.

Korra put a hand on his shoulder, "But we promise by our word we'll do anything to make sure that happens. If you are able to give us the key to catching the Red Killer, I'm pretty sure Chief Beifong will agree with me on this."

"I don't know…"

"If you skip town until this blows over, we can't touch you anyway," Korra suggested. "Take the money and run. Come back when it settles down."

Korra was making a good sale. Honestly, he didn't care what happened to Hibiki. That wasn't his department. He cared about preventing another needless death in Republic City. That was all.

"Do you really want this on your conscience?" She pushed further.

"Don't you realize that was why I contacted you two in the first place?" Hibiki sighed, guilt evidently weighing on his shoulders. "His origins are fuzzy, but this is what I've pieced together. The Red Killer was a Triple Threat Triad hitman in the beginning before he veered off and began killing for his own satisfaction."

This would explain why the MO changed drastically and why there were such different killing methods. The switch from slitting the throat to a stab in the back could finally be explained.

"Zolt had a soft spot for him. After all, as a hitman, the guy performed top-notch services for the organization. So even as the Red Killer went rogue, Zolt had the gang protect him, lest any of his contract killings be linked back to the Triple Threat Triads."

"That's all well and good," Korra folded her arms, "but how does this lead us to him?"

"Well, I never met him…"

Mako watched his partner roll her eyes.

"…But he's about this tall," Hibiki held his hand up. Mako estimated the height to be around five feet, eight inches. "You can't miss him honestly. He has piercing green eyes and a hook shaped scar on his cheek. The Triple Threats whisper it was from his first contract killing gone wrong."

"Big city. Where can we find him?" Korra pressed on.

"The Red Killer always lets the Triple Threats know he plans to kill as a courtesy. After all, the heat comes down on them. There's a bar…" he pulled out a scrap of paper and pen from his coat and scribbled down an address. "It's out of the way and in a derelict area. Outside there is an electric lamp that burns continuously. When the Red Killer intends to take a life, he extinguishes the lamp by cutting the wire beneath the lamp. He usually has a drink inside to give the Triple Threats time, then takes his leave."

Mako's heat beat hard in his chest. This was it. They had all the information they needed to nab their man. Finally, the end of this case was in sight and truly attainable.

"Until we meet again…or perhaps not," Hibiki tipped his hat, and left without another word.

.

.

He and Korra rushed over to the bar that Hibiki tipped them off on. There was no signal, and a thinning evening crowd that they would fail to blend in to, especially with Triple Threat Triads around that could recognize their faces. But luckily, they realized that there was a half vacant apartment building across the street. Camping out in one of the vacant units would give them a great view of the lamp and the bar, while keeping them concealed from recognition.

Of course, there was a larger problem at play: they had no idea when the Red Killer would strike next. He could set the signal tomorrow, next week, or next month. Or, Kale Hibiki could have been lying out of his ass and they would be wasting their time. But somehow, Mako didn't think that was true.

Tomorrow, he and Korra would make the arrangements. Beifong would have to extend their leave indefinitely to keep questions from Tarrlok or others at bay. They would have to rent an apartment and be sure they watched for the signal at all times. This of course meant that there was little room for else in his life until this was finished.

It was 2:45 AM, and Mako wasn't sure exactly what possessed him to show up at the door of Asami's penthouse.

Well, actually he did know. It was keeping her out of the loop that got him in trouble in the first place and he planed on rectifying that. His next stop would to be to inform Bolin. He didn't know how long he would be gone on this case, and he couldn't well just disappear. A note or a phone call wouldn't do; he had to do this in person.

His exhaustion must have lowered his inhibitions, because sure enough he knocked on the penthouse's door. Part of him really hoped that she wasn't there or that she wasn't awake. He could say he tried and be done with it. But he wouldn't be satisfied with this tonight.

The door opened slightly inward. "You know what time it is, right?" Asami let him in without question.

"Of course. You weren't asleep?"

He followed close behind her. He couldn't help but to admire the slightly sheer nightgown she wore that clung to her hips.

"There's been quite a lot of business to attend to," Asami turned to face him. "Why are you here at this hour?"

Mako took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. "I wanted to let you know…I'm going to be gone for a while. Maybe a few days, or a week…but it could be longer. I won't be able to be in touch either."

"Do you think this is worth it?"

"…This?"

"Us," Asami pulled a long, slim cigarette out. "Let's be honest here, what we've had was fun, but do you really see it lasting? We have different priorities. I was looking for something a bit more…serious when we started out."

"I…" he uncomfortably rubbed the back of his neck and dropped down on to her couch. "I guess you're right. We're in different places right now. I should have seen it earlier."

"Hey," she smiled and sat next to him. "Trust me, I've had worse breakups. You're a good guy. Maybe we could give this a shot another time."

"Sure," he managed the least awkward smile he could. "I'll let you sleep"

"Wait."

Mako turned around, not sure what to expect.

"I saw the Red Killer has been caught. My request…about my company—"

"We're still working on it. I promise you that. The truth will get out, it always does," he turned and showed himself out.

It felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. Upon further reflection, he realized that maybe a relationship didn't have to be hard to be worth it. He had plenty of flings throughout his life, but he wasn't nearly old enough to look to settle down and start the family that everyone eventually expected. Perhaps having a steady relationship didn't mean he was mature.

The last twenty-four hours had been monumental. The final details to find the Red Killer were revealed, and he ended another relationship chapter in his life. Next step was to let Bolin he would have the apartment to himself for a while.

But a bigger chapter's close was looming.

The end of the case was now inevitable.

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 **Author Note:**  We are nearly at the end folks. There should be two full chapters left, followed by an epilogue.


	18. Stormy Weather

**Rating:**  M (language, violence, sex)

 **Chapter Word Count:**  ~2700

 **Summary:**  Mako is already a well-experienced homicide detective in Republic City when Beifong reluctantly assigns him to take over the case of the "Red Killer," the serial murderer that likely was responsible for the death of his parents. Little does he know that the Beifong's reassignment of Vice Detective Korra as his new partner will change things in ways he never anticipated. Noir AU

.

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**Chapter 18 – "Stormy Weather"**

" _Love, love, love, love  
This misery will be the end of me"_

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Mako watched the rain pelt the window in the stormy, gray weather. The blinds were partly open to ensure he could watch the lamp across the street in front of the Triple Threat bar, but closed enough to be sure that no one would notice the detective and his partner on continuous watch. He leaned the side of his head against the wall, forcing himself to keep his eyes open and his mind attentive to the tedious task at hand.

A week and a half ago, he and Korra rented out the apartment across the street from the bar Kale Hibiki had pointed them too. They brought only the bare necessities and survived with the austere furnishings that the one room apartment had. They bought enough groceries to live off for a few days at a time without waste, and kept a cheap radio on in the corner to keep them from going mad in the silence on solo shifts. Since the lamp had to be watched at all times, they took turns sleeping on a small, stained mattress pulled into the corner that was lumpy and barely preferable to the floor.

Korra stepped out about an hour ago to pick up more food. Until she came back, he was on watch. He couldn't help but be concerned when it took her a while on an errand. The area was surely rife with Triple Threat Triads, and they were known faces and clearly wanted by the gang. He was unable to give her any aid should anything happen.

Slowly, he lost track of how much time they had been camped out in the small apartment. As his sense of time slipped through his fingers, so did his faith in the tip that Kale Hibiki imparted on them. But the man was long gone, fled from the city now. Even if he needed to have words with the former Future Industries executive, there would be no way.

What if they were wasting their time? What if this whole Red Killer signal was an elaborate lie to keep them out of the way? Every hour that went without an extinguished lamp across the street raised his anxiety level by an iota. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. As a homicide detective, this was the sort of thing that he turned over to the lowly beat cops, and even they switched off in shifts so they didn't have to do more than a day at a time.

"Hey, sorry about that," Korra closed the door behind her with a foot, two bags of soggy groceries cradled in her arms. "I tried to wait out the downpour, but no luck. So I had to run for it." She dropped the bags to the floor before taking off her soaked hat and shrugging her sodden overcoat off.

"Everything go okay?"

"Well…" she pulled a towel out of the closet of a bathroom they shared and dried off her hair while kicking off her shoes and struggling out of her socks, "nothing went wrong. I'm guessing no signal from our favorite murderer?"

Mako shook his head and watched as she took a seat across from him on the ground. They had a few throw pillows and a blanket spread over the dirty, partially unfinished floor to keep them somewhat comfortable. Even if he could have his favorite recliner here he wouldn't take it; it would surely just lead him to falling asleep when he was not supposed to.

"You've still got an hour or so before your shift begins at eight," he checked his watch. "Why don't you grab a bit of shut-eye before you take the night shift alone."

"Better idea," she smiled and walked over to the momentarily forgotten grocery bags. "How about some coffee?"

"Sure. Why not?" Caffeine didn't quite pack the eye-opening zing it once did when he was an adolescent.

His eyes refocused on the entrance to the bar and the lamp, as he listened to Korra shuffling around in the tiny kitchen, stocking whatever she bought away behind cabinet doors. There was something strangely domestic about their arrangement. The stranger part was how little he minded; in fact he had learned to expect and enjoy the routine.

"Is black okay?" Korra asked, a mug of coffee in each hand.

"That's fine."

She placed the mug next to him on the floor and took the pillowed seat across from him. "You know, I can't believe I haven't asked…what's your story?"

"What story?" He brought the mug to his lips to blow on the too hot beverage.

"Oh come on," she smirked. "Your cop story. Everyone has one."

"I thought you already knew," he took a tentative sip. "You know my parents were killed."

"There's got to be more to it. I mean, you could have easily been one of the top Triple Threats if you stuck with the organization. I bet the pay would have been better too."

He locked eyes with her, "You really think that would have suited me?"

"Nah," she shrugged. "What can I say? I like a good story. Which is why I'd like yours," she winked.

Mako held the coffee up to inhale the fragrant scent.

"Won't budge huh? Probably has something to do with you wanting to protect people right?"

"I told you," he sighed, recalling the conversation they had in his apartment the morning before this all blew up. "I don't think of myself as a protector." He realized then that she had him.

"Then what do you think of yourself as?"

He wasn't really in the business of thinking deeply about his own convictions and putting them into a coherent form. Mako knew he wasn't a shield. He didn't throw himself between others and their problems to take the brunt of whatever they were about to be dealt. People are unable to get stronger without facing adversity, and the last thing he wanted to do was cultivate helpless people. Maybe that was it.

"I'm more of a…supporter."

Korra quirked an eyebrow at him and silently urged him to continue as his short sentence was clearly only fully explanatory in his head.

"I like to help people…" he had to shut down the little voice inside him that insisted that he sounded dumb. "There are just so many people in this city that didn't even have a chance because of how crooked everything is. Look at Bolin and I. If we had just had a little bit of help we could have gotten to our feet and avoided ever having to join a gang. I feel like by actually getting Republic City to place where law rules, I can support and push along as many people as I can."

She smiled genuinely at him, a soft expression painted on her features. "I get that."

"You know I'm going to make you tell yours now," he took another sip of his coffee.

"It's not nearly as interesting," she tried to wave him off.

"I'll stay up during your shift until I get it out of you," a small smile crept on to his face. Korra would insist on him getting enough rest.

"It's a long story…"

"We've got a long time."

Korra sighed, her resistance dropping. "Well, you know I'm from the South. Born in a really small town and all that stuff. I was probably four when the influenza reached my town."

Mako was only a small boy at the time, but he remembered the whispers and undercurrent of panic on the Republic City streets. This disease outbreak, unlike the usual yearly ones, killed a large number of normally healthy adults. It had been a true pandemic across the land.

"Well," her shoulders slumped, "I got sick. And clearly I got better, but the damage had been done. My dad went a bit crazy with the whole protection thing after that and we moved farther out from the settlement. I didn't really have any friends other than my dog."

"That's rough."

"I don't need your fake sympathy, I know you had it bad," she snapped. "I didn't know any better anyway. Eventually when I got older and they couldn't control me, I moved back to town. I'm not good at much really—"

"That's a lie," he cut her off.

Korra snorted. "I'm quick to anger, I'm impulsive…but I don't give up. So I joined the Sheriff's Office as a Deputy. Eventually it became too much of a big fish, small pond sort of deal…so I came here."

"You say you're not good at much, but you're really good at this."

Mako wasn't one to hand out empty compliments. He thought that they were a waste of time and breath. But, he knew if he wanted to play the game and keep moving up in the organization, he couldn't make enemies. This meant he didn't hand out unnecessary criticism with his peers. He might have judged Korra by her department's reputation, but she was one of the finest cops he ever had the fortune to work with.

She laughed, her head lolling back against the wall as she snuck a look through the window at the still lit lamp. "You know, I can't wait until this case is over."

The shift in conversation caught him off guard. "Why? Sick of me?" He shot her a disarming smile.

"It's the opposite actually…" she looked down. He could have sworn that he saw some color creep into her cheeks.

If she liked him, she should enjoy working with him. That wouldn't mean that she would be eager to end the case quickly because of him. Of course, she wanted to catch this bastard as badly as he did, but he couldn't make heads or tails of her answer.

The true meaning behind her words hit him like a brick to the chest. Korra didn't like him. She really  _liked_ him. Maybe the signals he had brushed off as projections of his own emotions were actually a reading of minute details that were very real indeed. And with all this, he had  _the_  Detective Korra blushing in his presence.

He wasn't even sure how he was supposed to feel about this. Concerned that their working relationship was potentially compromised? Relieved that he could stop suppressing feelings and urges he didn't allow himself to dwell on? Maybe he was supposed to feel giddy that there was potential between them? All he knew was that there was a swirling ball of emotions within him so dense that one feeling couldn't be distinguished from the next.

"I broke up with Asami," Mako broke the silence.

"I know," she smiled sadly.

"Y-You do?"

"I like Asami," Korra shrugged. "I used to hate the woman. But after getting to see a different side of her on this case, she's really not the corrupt businesswoman I thought she was. You were so broody the first day or two that we were here…I gave her a call when I did my surveillance loop of the day. I figured you'd mention it when you were ready."

"I feel like a fool for not—"

"It's not a big deal," she locked eyes with him. "The case is a lot more important than anything we're talking about right now. Obviously you had a lot on your mind."

For such a recklessly impulsive cop, Korra sure did have a penchant for seeing what was truly important in the moment. She was still largely a mystery to him, one that despite their work and time together, he had yet to unwrap and discover enough to dim his curiosity. That was something he liked about her. There was so more to her than what met the eye. She was so much more than the rough-and-tumble cop most thought her to be.

Mako had to think hard about what he wanted to say next. What if they tried something, and it went wrong? He enjoyed having Korra in his life in a professional capacity greatly. If he screwed something up…well she wouldn't be in his life at all. Was it worth the risk? For most of his life, survival, and just getting to the next day with Bolin fed was his goal. He took the risks that were necessary, but never gambled for more than he needed. Maybe this was a gamble he was meant to take. Maybe it was time to throw the dice and realize how much he had to gain, instead of how much he had to lose.

He swallowed hard before gathering his confidence. "You know that this means I want this case over more than you do."

"Oh?" She looked genuinely surprised. "And why is that, City Boy?"

"Because I plan on asking you out."

Korra smirked, "And you think I'll say yes?"

"I  _know_  you'll say yes."

He wanted to kiss her right then and there. But there were fraternization rules, a light to watch, and a killer to catch. To Mako and Korra both, duty came first. This was one of the only areas where they saw completely eye to eye.

"Well you'll have to impress me by catching a serial murderer first."

"Good thing we've almost got that accomplished. I don't know how much longer I want to wait."

Quietly, they directed their gazes back out the window into the rain. The light was rapidly fading, the streets growing dark as the sun set beyond skyscrapers and mountains. With nightfall, came the ever-increasing odds that their killer would decide to take a life. The yellow-tinted lamp across the street burned into his vision even when he blinked. People passed by, paying not an iota of care to the object of his attention.

Mako watched a man in a gray coat and gray hat take a moment to loiter under the lamp. He lit a cigarette and let his head fall back against the wall. The rain streaming down the window obscured his view partially.

Suddenly the light went out.

For a moment, he thought his mind was playing tricks. How much had he yearned for that lamp to fall dark?

"Did you see that?" Mako noticed the man in the gray coat still leaning against the wall beneath the lamp.

"Well then it wasn't just my imagination either," Korra jumped up and grabbed her shoes.

"Hurry up!" They didn't have a second to loose here.

"Just go!" She struggled with the still waterlogged laces. "I'll meet you down there in a second!"

Mako dashed out quickly, not even bothering to shut the door behind him. His hand skimmed the railing as he ran down the stairs as quickly as he could go without tripping. Falling on his face or breaking an arm would certainly hinder this time-sensitive portion of the investigation. Three floors later, he burst out on to the street. A bit of the crowd obscured his vision, so he tried to calm his ragged breathing and move casually to the other side of the small side street. Rain poured down on him and wet his hair to his forehead.

The man in gray looked past him.

That's when he saw it.

Although his face was partially obscured, it was impossible to miss the hook shaped scar and green eyes the peeked out beneath the brim of his hat.

It was him. He had the Red Killer in his sights.

.

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 **Author Note:**  I know we're not done yet, but thank you all for your support. I am going to TRY to get this final chapter out on Thursday. If not, expect it after the Book 3 hype calms down a bit. There is also an epilogue to look forward too!


	19. Them There Eyes

**Rating:**  M (language, violence, sex)

 **Chapter Word Count:**  ~3500

 **Summary:**  Mako is already a well-experienced homicide detective in Republic City when Beifong reluctantly assigns him to take over the case of the "Red Killer," the serial murderer that likely was responsible for the death of his parents. Little does he know that the Beifong's reassignment of Vice Detective Korra as his new partner will change things in ways he never anticipated. Noir AU

.

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**Chapter 19 – "Them There Eyes"**

" _My heart is jumpin you started somethin' with them there eyes"_

.

Rain beat down on face and ran into Mako's eyes, but he barely noticed. Although their eyes had only met for what was no more than a cursory glance, he knew he had the Red Killer in his sights. He could have sworn his heart stopped for a moment when he realized that the eyes and hook shaped scar were those of his target.

It took all his self-control not to run over and grab the man in that instant. But he knew that they had no evidence on him yet. Kale Hibiki's word wouldn't stand up, especially since he was probably far out of Republic City by now. He and Korra needed to catch him in the act. They needed the Red Killer with his knife in hand and a girl in his sights. It was unfortunate, but that was the only way this could go. Luckily, if Hibiki were right, he would try to kill tonight. And he would be right there waiting to take the sucker down.

The Red Killer weaved his way slowly through the evening crowd. Everyone was eager to get out of the rain and kept their heads down as they tried to get wherever they needed to be. His target, however, walked with a slow purpose, his shoulder following the wall as he moved slowly to the bar entrance.

"Where is he?" Korra huffed, running up next to him. Her collar was turned up and her hat brim was tipped low to facilitate the runoff of rain.

"There, moving slowly against the wall."

His partner hauled herself up on her toes to try to catch a glimpse. With all their time working together, Mako really hadn't taken the time to notice how much shorter than him she really was. Well, what she lacked in size she made up in her strong presence.

"Well, what are we doing?" Korra hissed, grabbing his soaked sleeve. "We need to be following him!"

He wrenched his arm back out of her grasp. "We can't do that."

"Why not?"

"It's a Triple Threat bar. Every single thug in there knows our face and would love to see us beat to a bloody pulp, or worse."

"You think a fucking Triple Threat bar only has one exit?" She calmed down a bit, realizing her voice was too loud for their crowded surroundings. "They at least have a back door. We could be waiting out here all night until we get a bulletin that we've got a dead body to go see. We'll lose him if we don't follow not to mention that we aren't following him now!"

"Okay, okay," Mako cocked his head to the side and indicated she follow him as they slowly moved through the crowd. "We're fine right now. Hibiki was right about everything so far, which means he was probably telling the truth about the Red Killer getting a drink. So we at least have a few minutes."

"We don't have a disguise." She stopped to lean against the alley wall underneath an awning.

"We'll just need to be careful and keep our distance."

Without warning, Korra pulled one end of his scarf swiftly. The waterlogged swath of fabric was pulled off his neck quickly, before being replaced around her neck. She shoved her hat into his hands.

"We need to make due with what we have," Korra explained before pulling her hair out of her bun, allowing her hair to fall past her shoulders in wet ringlets. "Nothing screams 'Detective Mako' like a bright red scarf. She hung the scarf around her neck loosely and tucked it under her jacket so just flash of the crimson fabric was showing. "I'll take good care of it, I promise."

Mako reluctantly put her navy blue fedora on. "Ready?"

She nodded and looped her arm around his.

"What are you doing?" He took a few steps forward.

"We'll be less suspicious this way," Korra leaned her head against his arm.

He smirked and looked down at her. "Sure it isn't just because you want to be close?"

"Shut up, City Boy," the detective rolled her eyes. "I'm preoccupied thinking about a different man right now."

Mako held the door for her as they passed into the bar. The establishment was poorly lit. Yellow tinted light from low-hanging overhead lamps barely cut through the haze of cigarette and cigar smoke. Casual chatter sounded from every direction as glasses clattered and clinked throughout the bar. The place seemed extra crowded with people ducking in just to get out of the rain; so he and Korra didn't look any more lost than any of the obviously new customers.

"He's there," Mako whispered and discreetly pointed to the bar.

The Red Killer had his hat on the bar next to a glass of what looked to be bourbon or whiskey on the rocks. His green eyes were focused into his glass as he took well-paced sips of the amber liquid.

"The scar…" it was the first time Korra was getting a good look at the man. "…You've gotta wonder how he got it."

Mako pulled her down into a two-person booth. "I'll get drinks."

Of course they couldn't drink while they were on duty, and of course they wouldn't drink when they were in pursuit of who they thought was a dangerous killer. He couldn't imagine a less responsible thing to do.

"Two of your cheapest whiskey, neat," he threw a few yuans on the counter. No need to waste money on something they were only going to drink anyway.

The bartender's gaze lingered on him a few moments before fetching the drinks. Mako kept his hand down and pretended to be preoccupied with the interesting and blood-like stain on the counter. He nodded in thanks and grabbed the two not-quite-clean glasses off the bar and headed back to booth.

Korra slid the glass in front of her, "This smells horrible." She took a tiny sip.

"Well you're not supposed to drink it. Last think I need is a partner who can't pass a sobriety test needing to handle a gun."

"You think it'll come to shots then?" Their eyes didn't quite meet since he was watching the Red Killer over her shoulder.

"It might. Which means that it never hurts to be prepared."

"I know, I know! I was just curious," she flashed a sheepish smile. "So how long until he finishes the drink?"

Their target was certainly taking his time. He swirled his drink around in his glass before taking a carefully small sip. If there was anything he could know about the Red Killer, it was that he was deliberate. Every single move he made seemed to be thought-out and with purpose. No wonder the man worked well as a hitman. Meticulous and malicious was a perfect storm of a combination.

Mako and Korra pretended to idly chatter as the Red Killer slowly polished off his drink. It was easy enough to stay unnoticed; the poor lighting and bustle worked well to their advantage.

"He's going to slip out," Korra got up slowly.

They kept their distance and weaved through the bar patrons behind him as he made his way to an unmarked black door at the back of the room.

"Told you there was more than one exit," she whispered.

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her "I told you so" and instead waited for the door to close behind the Red Killer. Going through too quickly would get them spotted. Waiting too long would mean that they would lose him in the darkness. He counted up in his head before pushing through the door slowly. Mako looked left and right just as he emerged, and caught the end of a coat disappearing around the corner to his right.

Mako waved to Korra to come through before walking briskly around the corner to get the Red Killer back in his sights. Here, they rejoined the main thoroughfare. Once again, Mako was grateful for the crowds; it would be significantly easier to stay on the Red Killer's tail. As a hitman, the man was probably used to being followed and throwing undesirables off his scent. But as a serial killer who avoided capture for so long, Mako could hardly believe the man had his guard up for a pair of detectives on his tail. Surprise was on their side.

This area of this area of the city was practically the vice capitol of the city, and it was nestled up right next to the quieter Financial District, just north of Dragon Flats. The area was littered with bars, hidden gambling houses, drug dealers, and opium dens. Korra surely knew this better than anyone with her detective work background. In the bustle, it would be easy to wait for a woman to pull away into a quieter area of the city to make the kill.

The Red Killer was scouting for sure. He led them past a few different bars here and there as he weaved through the darkness. Korra stayed glued to his side, her sleeve brushing against his as they walked. Slowly, the rain overhead slowed to a drizzle. But Mako's coat was already soaked through, so it barely mattered anyway.

"Look," Korra nudged him.

The target took a quick look around before ducking through a doorway. A cursory glance at the signage above the door indicated that the establishment was a strip club. He knew that none of the victims so far originated from this strip club from the evidence they had; the Red Killer didn't mind venturing out of his comfort zone it seemed.

"Going in then?" Korra laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"It's…" she sniggered, "you seem like the kind of guy who gets really flustered in strip clubs."

He hoped that she couldn't spot the color rising in his cheeks at her spot-on assumption. "Come on, let's go."

Korra pulled a cigarette for him to light as they ducked inside. As was routine, he quickly pulled his lighter out and obliged her. They took a seat at the back of the room, well out of the Red Killer's field of view, while keeping their eyes locked on the back of his head. Korra ordered two gin and tonics when the scantily clad waitress sauntered by.

"Think he'll pick up a stripper?" Korra watched him pay for a lap dance from the first girl that came by.

"It would be easy," he stroked his chin in thought. "It would be easy to get her alone. Slip her a wad of cash and tell her you'll walk back to your apartment."

"If he fronted enough dough, it would work for sure." Her demeanor suddenly changed and her gaze lightened, "Hey, City Boy, want me to buy you a lap dance to help us fit in?"

Mako chose to ignore her badgering and instead focused on watching their target. Here, he seemed to be enjoying himself. The detective suspected that this was an act though. It was probably just a conjuring of his deliberate luring techniques to isolate victims.

Korra put out her cigarette in the dirty ashtray on the table. "Can this guy hurry up?" She was itching for some action.

"I think he's about to…" he watched as the Red Killer pulled an envelope out of his jacket pocket.

The stripper took a quick glance inside before plastering on a wide smile and nodding. They linked arms before heading quickly for the back door.

"We've gotta move," Mako held the borrowed at on as they hurried over to the back door.

"Where do you think the two of you are going?" A large bouncer blocked their path.

Korra grinned widely and hung on his arm, "Ummm, out?"

"Not this way you ain't."

They didn't have time for this. Mako grabbed his partner's hand and sprinted out the door. The Red Killer could be long gone and he just could not allow that to happen. Not now. Not when they had worked so hard. He ran outside and tugged Korra around the corner. The alleyway was empty.

"Shit!" Mako clenched his fists. "We lost them!"

Had all their efforts really been for nothing? Tomorrow morning they would end up crossing the police line to stare at the dead face of a victim they had failed. Tarrlok would further rail on the police for their inability to catch what he would call a "copycat" attempt to cover his ass since he already announced the Red Killer was in custody.

"Hang on," Korra looked around. "We know he's going to head for the Financial District. We can't give up just yet…let's just head in that direction."

She was right. They still had a chance. If his sense of direction were right, heading straight down this alley would bring them into the Financial District in just two or three blocks. The Red Killer could have easily taken this exact path, but was just ahead by a few minutes. Maybe this wasn't the end.

"Alright," he nodded, "let's go."

They took off at a brisk pace down the small side street. Mako watched the few people around, looking to recognize the Red Killer with the woman hanging off his arm. His eyes scanned down the darkened alleys that they passed, hoping to catch even just a glimpse of someone passing around a corner into the night. City blocks and minutes passed him by easily in his concentration. He listened for even the faintest signs of scuffling or struggle.

The streets of Republic City were always tinged in disappointment. So many chased their dreams in the shining metropolis, but the news that so many of them fail to even make it halfway to their goal never reached the ears of the hopeful. The city had this ability to swallow up what was wanted and hide it away. As soon as you even got sight of that target again, you were already jaded by what it took you to get there in the first place.

"Why don't we split up?" Korra had her hand under her coat on her holstered revolver.

"What if we find the guy?" Mako countered. He wasn't enthralled with the idea of them having to take on the Red Killer alone.

"We'll give a holler," she urged. "This is the only shot we've got."

And just like that, she disappeared off into the darkness. Mako looked carefully around corners and ventured into Financial District alleys that only those up to no good lurked in. He passed homeless men and women huddled up under makeshift shelters. He knew what nights like that were like; praying that the rain wouldn't come back while wondering if you were safe enough to let sleep take you.

He felt on edge. He chose to hold his hand under his coat like Korra, hoping he couldn't be caught off guard. Nothing he saw seemed out of the ordinary. The drunks and drug addicts that hid from cops and streetlights.

"Mako!" The cry was faint, but it rung clear in his head.

His feet took him as fast as he could to the sound of his partner's voice. His heart pounded in his ears, urging him to increase his face. His dress shoes lost traction on the wet pavement, and Mako careened around the corner and skidded on his knees before rolling on to his side. His suit was surely torn, and he knew we would be bruised and bloody from the fall.

But his mind didn't stay focused their long. As soon as he locked up, he caught two silhouette's grappling in the night. Korra hand her hand in the Red Killer's collar, his knife hand tucked tightly under her arm. She threw knees at his gut while he thrashed wildly, desperately trying to get his knife hand back in the fight.

Mako scrambled to his feet and pulled his revolver. "Police! Let her go!"

Evidently Korra was surprised to hear him so suddenly behind her. Her grasp on his arm loosened and he pulled his arm out and slashed in a large arc with his knife. He turned and ran quickly away as Korra dropped to her knees.

"Are you okay?" Mako yelled running up to her.

"Just a scratch," she jumped to her feet. "Make sure the girl is okay, I'm going after him!" She sprinted away.

He hadn't noticed the girl slumped against the wall. In the low light, he estimated she couldn't be holder than twenty. She hugged her knees to her chest and was visibly shaken, and rightfully so.

"Are you okay?" Mako pulled his badge out to reassure her.

The girl nodded slowly.

With how little she was wearing she had to be cold in the rain. He shrugged off his coat and draped it over her. "I'm going to go after that bad guy. I want you to stay right here okay? We're going to come back." He would need her witness statement, and she surely couldn't come with him. "I'll want my coat back," he winked.

She nodded quickly this time.

He didn't have a second to lose. After all, Korra was too cocky already to get all the glory for this one. He ran down the street and carefully took a sharp left to keep on the trail. Luckily for him, it was a dead end with a tall chain link fence.

"Republic City Police!" Korra yelled from the ground, her gaze focused on the rapidly escaping murderer that clung to the tall fence. She started up after him.

Korra climbed up after the Red Killer successfully, until his boot met her face forcefully and she dropped a few feet to the ground. She cried out in pain as she landed with a thud in a puddle. Blood streamed down her face from her nose; it was probably broken.

By this point, the Red Killer was almost at the top of the fence. If he reached the other side, he would be beyond their reach. He would know they knew his face. Likely, the Red Killer would never appear again in Republic City. He would live to kill again somewhere else. They couldn't afford to fail tonight.

"He's going to get away," Korra got to her feet and pulled her pistol.

She fired without flinching. The shot echoed in the night and pierced the Red Killer in his back. Blood darkened the back of his jacket has he lost his grip on the fence and fell to the ground, landing face up. The knife fell from his hand and clattered to the ground.

Just as they were trained, Korra shot to kill. She must have hit a major artery or something; blood pooled quickly on the ground beneath the Red Killer's body. Mako couldn't muster up any sympathy knowing how much pain and death the man had caused while he lived. The detective pulled up the murder's sleeve. Just as they had predicted, he was branded with the Triple Threat Triad membership tattoo on the inside of his forearm. The knife by his side had a distinct hilt; the medical examiner's office would surely see that it matched the bruising pattern on previous victims.

"Case closed?" Korra held her hand over her nose.

"I guess so," Mako sighed, his nerves still on edge. "You stay here. I'll go collect our witness and call this in."

It didn't seem finished, not by a long shot. But Mako knew this routine well. Eventually, things would settle down, and the new reality would set in. But the Red Killer wasn't just any case.

"Get me a medic too," Korra winced. "I think I'm going to have to have this thing set."

Mako walked over and gave her hand a squeeze. He was lacking words to describe how thankful he was to have her as his partner on this case. Quicker than then ever, the post-case serenity kicked in, alleviating any fears he had. Usually questions about how the prosecution would go lingered in his mind. But now, the feeling that everything would be okay allowed him to smile.

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 **Author Note:**  There is still an epilogue. No need for any long author notes until then.


	20. Epilogue

**Rating:**  M (language, violence, sex)

 **Chapter Word Count:**  ~4700

 **Summary:**  Mako is already a well-experienced homicide detective in Republic City when Beifong reluctantly assigns him to take over the case of the "Red Killer," the serial murderer that likely was responsible for the death of his parents. Little does he know that the Beifong's reassignment of Vice Detective Korra as his new partner will change things in ways he never anticipated. Noir AU

 **Author Note:**  This final installment was the most fun, and the easiest to write. It was incredibly rewarding. Enjoy.

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**Epilogue – "Easy Living"**

" _Living for you, is easy living._

_It's easy to live when you're in love._

_And, I'm so in love,_

_There's nothing in life, but you."_

.

"And that's what happened?" Lin Beifong sat back in her chair. "Did you get all of that down?"

The young police officer nodded. He closed the file and stopped the large tape recorder in the room. "That's everything we need for the official record. The file and tape will be archived."

"Excellent," the Chief nodded. "You're dismissed."

The man threw up a hasty salute and left with his arms full of file and tape stacks.

"I have to thank you two for being so patient through this whole process," Beifong walked over to the coffee pot in the corner and poured two cups before placing one in front of each detective. "I know you've been up all night by this point."

For Mako at least, adrenaline carried him through the night. The sound of sirens echoing off walls and the blue and red flashing lights in that dark alleyway flushed him with relief. The girl was taken off safely to give her statement. The scene was cordoned off with barriers as the Red Killer's body was carted away. It was a textbook end to a case.

The worst of it was the media. Despite the late hour, the reporters still somehow heard and managed to swarm the small Financial District block. In all the chaos, Beifong somehow managed to have them carted off to the Central Station to be debriefed. But the reporters were relentless. The newspapers were happy to get the story out by the time the day's issue was delivered, but they surely wanted a special afternoon extra edition with the statements from the detectives themselves.

Korra shrugged, "It's part of the territory." He could tell the long hours of being awake were starting to weigh her down. She slumped down in her seat and sipped gratefully at the mug of black coffee. "I just want a good night's rest at this point."

"Well, we still have a few things to discuss," the older woman leaned forward. "From what you discovered with your friend in the medical examiner's office, there are still unsolved murders that were wrongfully attributed to the Red Killer."

Of course those would have to be taken care of. Mako knew first-hand that there was nothing worse than a cold case hanging over the head of the victims.

"Those cases will remain open and within the Homicide Department's jurisdiction. And regarding that…Mako, you will resume your post in that department. And Detective Korra will move back to work in the Vice Department."

He loved working with Korra. The prospect of their partnership coming to a close was unpleasant. Part of him was disappointed, and it must have shown.

"Oh for fuck's sake," the lack of formality from Beifong caught him off guard. "Don't look like a sad puppy. Just because you aren't working with Detective Korra doesn't mean you cannot see her socially."

Mako slouched down in his chair in embarrassment. "I uh…of course, boss."

"Now, you know the reporters are itching to get at you."

"When aren't they?" Korra smiled.

"If I might make a recommendation," Beifong pulled out the front page of  _The Republic Reporter_. "As you can imagine, Councilman Tarrlok has been facing some much deserved flak for his cover-up. I would advise you not to respond to any questions regarding him. While he might never be mayor, I do not want him to prove more of a nuisance than he already is."

"You got it," she nodded.

"Now get out," Beifong pointed at the door. "I've still got work to do. Take the rest of the week off, but you're expected to get in here bright and early on Monday, ready to clean up this city."

"Of course," Mako smiled and got to his feet alongside Korra.

The two detectives left the office with a smile. Every cop in the station gave them a grin and a nod as they passed out through the station. As radio reporters had taken to calling them, they were Republic City's "dynamic duo." Every reporter was going to want a quote from the pair as soon as they stepped out of the station. Things were easy after a case was closed. He always felt like he sat on a euphoric cloud for the first twenty-four hours or so. Eventually his feet had to touch ground again if he wanted to pull another few of the bad guys off the street.

"What are you doing?" Mako eyed Korra quizzically.

"Leaving," she said matter-of-factly, her hand on the door.

"That's the main entrance to the station," he took a quick glance outside. Just as he suspected, there was a horde of reporters holding cameras outside. "We're going to be mobbed. We should take the back entrance and catch a cab on the side street." Neither of them had their cars since they were rushed to the station so quickly.

"Oh come on," she nudged him. "When is the next time you'll break a case this big, huh?"

She was right. The Red Killer case was the biggest at least of the decade. The newspapers would tear apart the story for weeks, special radio late-night reports would have "specialists" for months helping people to avoid being a victim, and he had no doubt that several books were already being penned about the whole bureaucratic fiasco.

"Enjoy it, hotshot," Korra's laugher was music to his ears. She pulled her gray trench coat on and popped the collar up before dropping her navy blue fedora on. "No use in giving those photographers an easy shot; we all have to work for our wage in this city."

Mako shook his head and followed suit. This girl was crazy, but that was part of her charm. She was as strong as earth and as fluid as water, but yet as deadly as fire and was light as wind. She was surely one of a kind.

"Ready?" She flashed him a daring smile.

"Let's do this."

As soon as they set foot out of the station, a wave of camera flashes crashed over them. The two detectives shoved their hands in their pockets and moved through the crowd.

"Do you have any comment about City Councilman Tarrlok's involvement in the case?"

"Is it true that the Red Killer was credited for murders that he likely did not commit?"

"What is the final word on the involvement of the Triple Threat Triads in the case?"

Both of the detectives declined any comment. But he had to admit that it was novel to have so many reporters interested in his word. Mako truly didn't have a thirst for the limelight though, unlike his brother. He would be happy when all of this was forgotten and the public moved on to the next big thing.

Korra expertly hailed a cab, and they were on their way. They decided that since her apartment was closer to the station, she would be the first stop. The lack of sleep started to catch up with him in the faux leather back seat; he could feel himself beginning to doze off. When they reached Korra's apartment, he got out of the cab with her.

"Let me walk you up," he noticed the look of confusion on her face.

"Sure."

He followed her up the few flights of stairs in silence until they reached her door.

"So, City Boy," she leaned against her door with her arms crossed. "Were you planning on asking me out on that date?"

Mako took a step closer to her and tipped his chin down so he could look her in the eye. "How could I forget? How about we go out tonight? We grab a few hours of sleep and clean up before."

"That eager, huh?"

"How about I take you out somewhere really nice, like Kwong's Cuisine?"

"Kwong's?" Korra chuckled. "That place is a bit too stiff for me. How about this: I know a great place just around the corner from here that has fantastic and authentic Southern food. How's that sound?"

"Sounds good!"

"And you haven't even had the food yet."

He rolled his eyes before taking a good look at his face. He couldn't help his gaze from drifting down to her lips. They were just so utterly enticing. The kiss they shared in that Dragon Flats alley as a distraction certainly didn't count between them. It was time to take a risk.

Mako ducked down quickly to press his lips to hers. He closed his eyes and let go of all expectations.

Korra howled in pain and recoiled back, clutching her nose.

Fuck, he had forgotten that the Red Killer had broken her nose. A medic had quickly fixed her nose so it was no longer crooked, but obviously it still had quite a bit of healing to do before she was ready for any sort of heavy face-to-face contact like he had initiated.

Guilt blossomed within him and his face heated up. "I'm so sorry!" He grabbed her shoulders. "I completely forgot I—"

"Cool it," she winced. "You just need to be a bit more careful when we do this again tonight."

"T-Tonight?"

Korra pressed quick kiss to his cheek. "I'll see you at seven, City Boy. Take a shower and get some sleep." She slipped into her apartment with a wink.

He had to pick his jaw off the floor before running down the stairs. He had a lot to do before tonight.

.

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Mako straightened his tie one more time and smoothed over his pants. His knee was still badly bruised and scraped from his slip during pursuit of the Red Killer, but a fresh suit from his closet made him look as if nothing had even happened. He raised his hand and knocked a few times on her door.

The rest of the day had been uneventful, and this was a great thing in his mind. As soon as he left Korra's apartment, he caught a cab back to his apartment. Bolin practically jumped him in excitement of the news. But the night had caught up with him, and Mako was lucky that he made it all the way into his bedroom before he fell asleep fully clothed. He woke up groggily after a few hours and dragged himself into the shower. At that point there was barely enough time for him to slick his hair back and pick out a simple black suit and red tie. Usually he would have added his scarf, but Korra still had it in her possession.

The door opened quickly.

"Seven, right on the dot," Korra wore an amused smile.

"You said seven," he had to think back quickly to make sure he wasn't overly early or late, "didn't you?"

"I did," she stepped aside to let him in. "And usually guys show up just a bit late to keep the girl on edge."

"I don't really play those sorts of games."

"That's what I figured."

Mako followed her inside. His eyes traveled over the slim-fitting navy blue dress she wore. He never expected he would get to see her in a dress; part of him couldn't imagine her outside of her typical work attire. But he was sure that this was a perception that would change rapidly this evening.

She slipped a worn, woven purse over her shoulder so the strap crossed her body. "Come on! This place gets crowded!"

Korra grabbed him by the hand and whisked him down to the street level. She pulled him around the corner on to a small side street that was filled with vendors and crafts from the South. For as long as he had lived in the city, this neighborhood wasn't one he had explored. But here, Korra seemed completely at home.

They sat down in a small outdoor café. Korra smiled and ordered for both of them, picking something that didn't officially appear on the menu. The waiter brought them two mugs of tea that smelled like home in a way he just couldn't describe.

Small talk came easy between them. Granted, much of it was about the case and police work in general, but it was natural. Slowly but surely, Mako had the chance to add more pieces to the puzzle that was Detective Korra. But of course, she was much more than her job title.

A steaming pot of udon noodles was place in front of each of them. Fragrant scents of seafood rose up from the bowl that made his stomach growl in anticipation. Mako couldn't help but to laugh when Korra dug in heartily, filling her mouth with noodles. She mentioned through a mouth full of food that it had been a while since had had been here. She said the food was almost as good as what her mom made. Somehow, a pair of vodka shots ended up in front of them and emptied before he could think otherwise.

Mako pulled his wallet out from his jacket.

"What are you doing?" Korra had her purse in hand.

"Paying for dinner." He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. And to him, it was.

"Let me at least treat you to a meal to celebrate the case."

"If this is the date I think it is, I should be the one paying."

"Sorry, City Boy. Eating here is like me cooking for you at my home. I've got it."

He flagged the waiter down, determined to get the upper hand. "Can I get the check?"

"It's been paid for," the waiter smiled. "Least we can do for the police heroes on the front page of every newspaper. Take it as a little thank you."

"Did you like it?" Korra smiled slyly.

"It was just as good as you said it would be," he wiped his mouth on his crumpled napkin, and dropped it in the now empty bowl. "Would you like to take a walk or something?"

"I know just where to go," she stood up and offered her hand.

Being pulled through Republic City behind Korra certainly was an experience. She weaved through the crowd quickly and excitedly; leaving him to sheepishly apologize to each person he bumped into. But in the moment, it didn't bother him.

"Korra, this is your apartment," he eyed her quizzically. "I thought you said we were going for a walk."

"We did go for a walk," she smiled smugly. "And now we're here."

"I um…ohhh," Mako grinned.

Korra grabbed him by the hand and dragged him upstairs and into his apartment. "Watch my nose this time, will you?"

He didn't even have a chance to respond before her lips met his. He was so surprised it took him a few seconds to relax into the kiss. His hands came up to gently cup her face while hers entwined behind his neck. Mako angled his head back so he could deepen the kiss further, without making the blunder of bumping into her broken nose. His fingers tangled in her hair until he found the clip at the back of her messy bun. Gingerly, he removed it without breaking the kiss, sending her hair cascading down her shoulders in wavy ringlets.

They broke the kiss, their foreheads pressing together as their breaths mingled in the air. Her hair was beautiful down, but he could only imagine that it was a nuisance on the job. He brushed a few stray hands behind her ear before his hands roamed down her arms until they came to rest on her hips.

Mako looked into her eyes and smiled, "May I have this dance?"

"Later," she murmured before unceremoniously sidestepping him and casting his suit jacket to the floor. "Maybe on the second date."

"Second date? What makes you think I'm going to ask you out again?"

She grabbed him by his tie and pulled him down into a kiss. "Is that answer enough for you?"

He nodded and kissed her back, simply enjoying the feel of her body against his. Mako reached up and loosened his tie quickly, while Korra worked feverishly at the buttons on his crisp white dress shirt. Her hands smoothed over his chest even before the material was pushed off his shoulders along with his tie.

"It's your turn," he breathed, pressing his lips to the hollow of her neck.

Korra smelled…like Korra. It wasn't a scent of perfume, carefully manufactured in a Republic City boutique. She smelled like spice and the sea, and it was utterly intoxicating. His hands found the zipper at the back of her dress. Inch by inch, he dragged it downward, his other hand following the parting of the dress to caress the smooth skin of her back. The zipper ended just above the swell of her behind and his hand continued on to cup her ass in his hand. He nudged the dress off both of her shoulders so it fell into a blue pool at her feet.

"You look…beautiful," he took every inch of her in. It sounded cheesy but it was the only way he could somehow adequately describe what he was thinking.

She was bare, save a matching set of light blue undergarments that were bordered with lace. Her stomach was toned and tanned, and she stood strongly and confidently in front of him.

"You're welcome to touch," she winked.

Mako didn't need another invitation. He reached out to grasp her breasts in his hands, but she stepped away.

"You'll have to catch me first!" Korra laughed, taking off towards the bedroom. She jumped on the bed and rolled over on to her back and propped herself up on her elbows. "If you want to join me, you'd better get rid of your shoes, socks, and pants."

He shook his head in amusement before kicking off his shoes and socks to the side. He moved his hands to get rid of his belt.

"Hang on," she slid to the edge of the bed. "Let me take care of this part."

Her nimble fingers worked the buckle open in just a few seconds. She looked up at him and grinned as she rubbed her palm over the growing bulge in his black trousers. Even at this indirect level of contact, he had to resist the urge to groan in pleasure. Korra slid down to her knees in front of him and worked his zipper down. Her fingers hooked into his pants and boxers, and peeled them down until they were around his ankles.

Korra wrapped her lips around the tip of his cock before he could so much as step out of his pants. Her tongue slid back and forth over the underside of his length as she took more of him in. Her hand wrapped lightly around the base as she bobbed slowly over the tip. Each time she reached the end, her tongue would swirl around the head before she took him deeply back into her mouth.

"Fuck yes…" his hand twisted into the hair at the back of her head, urging her to continue.

She hummed in appreciation, sending tingles and vibrations of pleasure right to his core. Korra increased her pace, increasing the pressure of her hand sliding up and down on the portion that she couldn't fit into her mouth.

He could feel his peak slowly building within him. He was going to cum if she kept at this. "Korra…you need to stop because I'm gonna—"

Suddenly, she took him in deeper than ever before. He just couldn't hang on any longer; she was far too good at this for his own good. Mako grunted and closed his eyes as he came, spilling himself into her mouth. She greedily swallowed it all, her hand still slowly pumping him until he started to soften in within her.

"I need to return the favor now," his breath was still coming in hard gasps.

He leaned down to her level and kissed her sweetly. Wrapping his arms around her thighs, he lifted her up to the bed and encouraged her to scoot back until she was propped up against the pillows. Korra bent her knees and parted her legs. He crawled up after her and kissed up one leg from her ankle, all the way up to the inside of her thigh.

"I figure you need to recover," Korra smirked.

Although her confidence was one of her great qualities, Mako was determined to wipe that arrogant smile off her face. He drew his kisses close and closer to the source of heat between her legs. His other hand caressed light circles up her thigh at a slow pace. Finally, his fingers rubbed lightly over her entrance.

"You don't need to take your time," she traced unidentifiable shapes on his shoulder.

Mako blew cool are over her core, causing her to shiver. "Well if that's what you want…"

Without delay, he leaned down and pressed his lips to her. His tongue pressed once hard against her clit, before plunging inside her as far as he could. Her hips bucked up to meet him with every sweeping stroke of his tongue. She clung to the sheets and writhed in pleasure; he was sure he had never seen anything so beautiful.

He came up for air, and replaced his tongue with two fingers. He pushed all the way up to his knuckle and twisted so his hand was palm up. His fingers curled within her, pressing against that spot inside her that he knew would bring her to the edge. He leaned back down and pressed his mouth against her clit. There was no reason to draw this out; Mako intended on having many more opportunities for a slower burn.

"Fuck!" Korra didn't seem to have enough time to warn him.

Her toes curled in the sheets as her thighs clamped together around him, hugging him closer as she tightened around him. Korra's back arched off the bed and her jaw tightened as she moaned through clenched teeth.

Mako pulled away slowly and dropped to his side next to her while she caught her breath and came down from her high. His fingers traced over her toned midsection until he reached her breasts. He lightly rolled one in his palm before gently circling the nipple.

Her eyes opened as her hand found his now hardened length. "You ready?"

He nodded quickly and kissed along her collarbone to her neck.

Korra rolled away and reached into her nightstand. She rolled back towards him with a condom held between her fingers. Quickly discarding the wrapper to the floor, she pushed him onto his back and straddled one of his legs. She rolled the condom down his length all the way to the base. She braced a hand on his chest before positioning his cock at her entrance. Slowly but surely, she sunk down on him with an audible groan.

Mako placed a hand on both sides of her hips and relaxed, letting her ride him at her own pace. The view from the bottom was spectacular. Her breasts bounced each time she sunk down on him all the way to the hilt. She moved her hands to his shoulders and nipped lightly at his neck. It all just felt so damn good.

But it wasn't enough. He wanted to go faster. He wrapped his arms around her and rolled them over so he was on top without withdrawing from her even an inch.

She wrapped her legs around him, "Fuck me."

He pulled out slowly, only to slam quickly back into her pushing his cock into her as deeply as he could. He braced his weight on his elbows and buried her face in her neck, thrusting his hips as at a breakneck pace. He wanted her; he wanted  _all_  of her. Korra's hips bucked up to meet him with every thrust, their bodies moving in tandem through a dance that was eternal.

"I'm getting close," she whimpered, her fingernails digging into his back.

Mako quickly reached down and rubbed at her clit, eager to push her over the edge again.

The pleasure proved just enough, and she bucked underneath him while letting out a ragged moan. Her walls convulsed around him, squeezing and daring him to allow himself to come. He closed his eyes, feeling the pressure build within him until it become too much. Mako released a ragged groan into her neck as he thrust into her a final time. His weight collapsed down on her as he came. Korra stroked his hair gently as he came down from his climax.

As much as he wanted to stay sheathed inside her all night, he had to pull out. He was carefully mindful to hold the condom at its base so it didn't come off. Mako rolled off the side of the bed and headed for the bathroom, quickly finding the trashcan next to the sink.

"Hey," Mako leaned up against the doorframe, still fully naked.

"Hey," Korra had propped herself up on the headboard and reached over to fish in the nightstand. "Come back over here."

He crawled into bed beside her again.

She pulled out a cigarette and placed the ashtray on the nightstand. "Give me a light?" The cigarette dangled from her lips as she held a lighter out to him.

"Can't you do it yourself?" He teased, taking the lighter and flicking it ablaze and carefully lit up the cigarette.

"Well, you know," she took a long practiced drag, exhaling the smoke into the room. "You're just so good at it."

Mako couldn't help but think he'd be fine lighting her cigarettes for her for a long time to come.

.

" _I'll never regret the years I'm giving._  
They're easy to give when you're in love.  
I'm happy to do whatever I do, for you.

For you...maybe I'm a fool, but it's fun.  
People say you rule me with one wave of your hand.  
Darling, it's grand.  
They just don't understand.

Living for you is easy living.  
It's easy to live when you're in love.  
And, I'm so in love,  
There's nothing in life, but you."

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 **Author Note:**  Wow okay this is going to be a long author note. Part of me figured I would never actually finish this fic, but somehow I did and I'm not sure. But there are a few people/groups of people I really want to thank.

First off, I need to thank Alex for being an amazing beta through this whole thing. I also need to thank kwongs for letting me chat with you through this whole process. You've both offered a lot of support I've needed desperately though this long story.

I also want to thank two groups of readers in particular. The first is those who have been reblogging on Tumblr. It means a lot that you liked the fic enough to pass it on. The second group are my consistent reviewers on FFnet for keeping me updated with your thoughts this whole way and taking time to leave feedback.

And of course, I had to thank everyone for reading, liking, and (hopefully) enjoying the fic. If you've never left a review, reblogged, or etc., I would love if you would do so now seeing as this is the final installment. For Tumblr readers, a sharable master post will be going up shortly.

Thank you all so much!


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